Dyed in Red
by ScarletThorn10849
Summary: Why couldn't she just tell anyone about her plan? Was she ready to leave her beloved 'siblings? Was she willing to sacrifice her own happiness, just to save someone else? If her plan fails, then everything would go to waste, but Ayano didn't care. She just wanted everyone to have a happy ending. CrackPairings/Pairings include ShinAya, SetoMary, KonoAya and slight KidoKano.
1. Unspoken

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Project or any of its character.**

* * *

**GAHHHH! I SOOOO LOVED THE NEW SONG! I WAS ALL SNIFFING AND STUFF AFTER LISTENING TO IT! GEEZ, JIN...Y U KEEP ON MESSING WITH OUR FEELS? ;A; AND WHY DO YOU SUDDENLY LEAVE US HANGING AFTER GIVING SUCH A GOOD PLOT TWIST? Naw, seriously. It was an epic plot twist! Who knew Ayano was actually connected to Mekakushi Dan? No, WHO KNEW THAT AYANO WAS ACTUALLY THE LEADER OF MEKAKUSHI DAN? **

**Less ranting, more fanfic-writing. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ayano..." Shintaro trailed off as he stared at the dark haired girl. Ayano shook her thoughts away and turned to Shintaro, her usual smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, Shintaro-kun?" Ayano's smile twitched slightly. _How long...how long do I have to fake it? _

"...Nothing." Shintaro finally said. He picked up his bag and started to walk away.

"Shintaro-kun, can I walk with you?" Ayano asked, a small smile still on her face. Shintaro glanced back at her and sighed, it wasn't like he could say 'no' anyway. Ayano would still cling to him nonetheless.

The two walked in silence. Usually, Ayano would talk non-stop, but today was different. Shintaro began to wonder if something was wrong, then again, Ayano looked so happy. Besides, Shintaro didn't have the guts to ask her if she's okay.

"Say Ayano..." Shintaro mumbled. Ayano's eyes widened in surprise, he was the one who started a conversation. For a moment, Ayano felt a genuine smile gracing her lips.

"Hm?" She hummed giddily, skipping as Shintaro walked by her side.

"Why do you always follow me around?" He asked, letting out a tired sigh.

"Because it's fun." Her reply was too simple, it didn't content Shintaro.

"How is it fun?" He asked. Ayano looked at him, curiosity written all over her face.

"Being with Shintaro is fun." Ayano said in response, gripping Shintaro's hand. He felt heat rise to his cheeks. Why was he feeling like this whenever Ayano's around? It was starting to annoy him.

"Leave me alone." He said as he snatched his hand away, only to be caught by Ayano.

"I don't want to." Ayano said stubbornly, puffing her cheeks a little.

"You're so annoying." Shintaro grunted. He briskly pulled his hand away and walked ahead of the poor dumbstruck girl.

"Ah, I annoyed him again..." Ayano muttered, smiling bitterly to herself. She snuggled her scarf and comforted herself with its warmth.

* * *

"I'm home." Ayano shouted, removing her shoes as she entered their house.

"Welcome back, Ayano-nee." Kido greeted as she momentarily looked away from the television to face Ayano. Ayano glanced around the room and frowned.

"Where's my other secret agents?" Ayano said in a childish demeanor that never failed to make the three smile.

"I think Seto said something about buying food supply for Hanao. The idiot is probably asleep on the couch." Kido emphasized the word 'idiot', feeling rather annoyed at the mention of Kano's name.

"Ehhh, you should really stop calling him that." Ayano scolded, although she was clearly amused by Kido's reaction.

"I'm back." A dull voice called.

"Hey, dad." Ayano forced a smile on her face.

"Welcome back, Mr. Tateyama." Kido greeted with a small bow. Mr. Tateyama walked past the two girls and went to his room to rest.

"He looks tired." Kido noted. Ayano nodded her head.

"Say, you can call him 'dad' y'know?" Ayano beamed. Kido looked up at her and smiled sadly. "Ah, anyway, I have an important announcement to make. Call me immediately when Seto comes home, okay?"

"Announcement?" Kido tilted her head in confusion. Ayano smiled at her.

"Sssh, it's a secret between the Mekakushi members only." With that, Ayano hopped off and went straight to her room.

* * *

"I'm back, mom." Ayano gingerly touched the frame of their family picture. How long has it been since her mother died? She lost track of time, she didn't want to count the days they survived without her beloved mother. It was a great loss and it had truly affected everyone in their family, especially Ayano's father.

"Mom, please help dad snap back to his senses..." Ayano grumbled, tears forming around the corners of her eyes. Recently, she'd discovered what her father's been up to. One night, she went to his room to give him snack. Unfortunately, her father wasn't there when she came. Out of curiosity, Ayano found herself inching closer to her father's desk. There she saw documents about two of her friends; Takane and Haruka.

"Hey mom, do you think I could also get myself a pair of 'those' eyes?"

* * *

"So, uh, what's the announcement about?" Seto asked, nudging Kido.

"Dunno." She replied monotonously. She noticed that Kano was about to doze off once again, so with all her might, she kicked him in the shin. "Wake up, idiot."

"AAGHHHH!" Kano shrieked as he curled into a ball and cried.

"Ow." Seto winced, seeing Kano in great pain. He imagined what it could've felt like, but he figured that it would be better not to know.

"Yooosh! Mekakushi Dan Member No. 0 is here!" Ayano yelled as she did her 'heroic' pose, muttering 'that was a mouthful' under her breath.

"Ayano-nee is so cool." Kido murmured, Kano could've sworn he saw her eyes sparkle as she admired Ayano.

"Kido is such a kiddo." Kano joked, referring to Kido's chuunibyou/8th grader syndrome.

"Shut up." Kido growled, glaring down on Kano.

"O-oi, you two..." Seto sweatdropped as he tried to stop the two from fighting.

"Aye! Member #1 and #3, stop fighting!" Ayano commanded, and two completely froze and then broke away.

"Good." Ayano sighed in content. "As I was saying, I have a very important announcement to make."

The three members looked at her expectantly. Ayano smiled, she loved how these three were so loyal to her. She swore to be loyal to them in return.

"I am now passing the leader rights to Member #1." Ayano finally said. Silence.

"EHHHH?!"

* * *

After a few 'why' 'how' I don't want to' and stuff, Ayano finally made Kido accept the new responsibility. She assured her that it wouldn't be a difficult position, and that she thought it was time to change leaders anyway. They insisted that her title as the 'Creator' remains however.

"A very rowdy bunch indeed." Ayano muttered to herself as she lay down on her bed. "I'm gonna miss them."

She sat up and looked at her desk. She absently took a seat and tore a sheet from her notebook. She grabbed her pen and started scribbling incoherent words. All the while, she had one person in mind: Shintaro.

After spending about two hours writing, she stretched and stifled a yawn. She glanced at the clock, it says '12:32'.

"Ah, it's already this late?" She groaned, remembering that she has school tomorrow. She got up and patted her numb legs. She couldn't help but feel sad. It was the last night she's gonna spend in her room.

* * *

"Ohayou, Shintaro-kun." She greeted, watching the young man occupy the seat next to hers.

Shintaro felt guilty from acting like a kid the previous day, but the guilt soon vanished upon seeing the girl's smile. "You seem happy today."

"What are you saying? I'm always happy!" Ayano beamed, pumping her fists in the air with more enthusiasm.

"Yesterday...you..." Shintaro trailed off. He shook his head and sighed. Of course, Ayano would always be happy. That's the type of person she is, no doubt about that. Or at least, that's what Shintaro thought.

* * *

Class felt lively today. Shintaro also noticed that Ayano was happier and sweeter- in some ways. Well, it's not like she wasn't sweet before, but she was acting really sweet today. Almost as if she were his girlfriend. She cooked bento for him. Drank on the same cup as he did. Shared her scarf with him. Moreover, she nearly kissed Shintaro on the lips for who knows why. They received a lot of strange glances from their schoolmates the whole while, it made Shintaro feel terribly uneasy.

He tried prying her off by saying mean words to her, but she would just reply with a smile and then she would resume to whatever she was trying to do.

"O-oi, what's wrong with you?" Shintaro stuttered out, gaining an amused look from Ayano.

"Shintaro-kun stuttered!" She gasped in awe.

"S-so what? Ayano, w-would you please get off me?" Ayano realized that she was still riding Shintaro's back.

"Geez, Shintaro-kun! Am I really that heavy?" Ayano asked with a childish pout.

"No...it's just..." Shintaro covered his face so that the girl wouldn't see his blush. "P-people have been giving us strange looks."

"Ehh, so what?" Ayano noticed Shintaro's beet red face and started poking his cheeks. "Uwaa! Shintaro-kun's blushing!"

"Ayano, quit messing around!" Shintaro snapped. Ayano got off his back and dusted her skirt. She looked up at Shintaro, and smiled once more.

"Sorry. I just..." For a split second, Shintaro saw the corners of Ayano's mouth turn downward, but when he looked again, it bloomed into a full smile. "I just wanted to spend the whole day with Shintaro."

After that, Ayano left Shintaro alone for the rest of the class. When class ended, Ayano stayed behind, even when all of her classmates had left. She searched inside her bag and sighed in relief when she caught the letter she wrote last night. She silently re-read it. Tears dripped on the crumpled piece of paper.

"What a waste..." She mumbled, "but I'm glad that I forgot to hand it to him..."

Shintaro watched from afar. He was too stunned to even move. Ayano's crying? It seemed too unrealistic for him. He felt scared. He didn't really know what to do, so he left. Perhaps the girl would prefer being alone at a time like this.

**_Hey Shintaro..._**

She ran up the stairs that led to the roof top.

**_Sorry for not giving you a proper goodbye._**

She turned the door knob and walked forward.

**_Say, did you know that I have three secret agents! And all of them have 'super' eyes! I hope I can get eyes like those. _**

Slowly and carefully, she climbed up the fence.

**_Those kids are very nice, I'm sure that they'd like to be friends with Shintaro! _**

"Azami..." she muttered quietly as if she was praying.

_**Please take care of those three. Sorry for leaving you with this responsibility. I have to leave for a mission. I don't like idling around while everyone else has their own responsibilities to care for. I don't want to be a burden, I want to be of help. You know me, right Shintaro? **_

She closed her eyes and hoped for her plan to succeed.

**_Nee Shintaro, I hope we meet again. By then, I would be brave enough to talk to you face to face! _**

Ayano inhaled, "I hope they don't get mad at me if I fail this mission."

**_Shintaro..._**

With a last smile, she finally jumped.

**Sorry.**

The last thought that crossed her mind was the last three words she wrote in the end of the letter.

**_I love you._**

* * *

**THAT'S ALL! Thanks for those who would bother giving reviews! I appreciate stuffs like those! I hope everyone liked the story~ Just message me if you want me to make a part two for this xDD Tata~ **


	2. Her Happiness

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Project/Days or any of its character.**

* * *

**HORAAAAA! So, I've been thinking a lot about this...alas, I have decided. I am going to make this a chapter story! I'm basing this on random 'theories' about Ayano's story (mostly my theory). Well, this is a fanfic after all, might as well share some theories I've gathered (yes, I did a LOT of research). So on and so forth, enjoy! **

* * *

When Ayano opened her eyes, everything was black. Pitch black. She blinked a few times, waiting for her eyes to adjust in the dark, but nothing happened. She couldn't see a thing, not even her own body.

"Where...am I?" She asked, turning her head to look for a light source. Her eyes widened in realization. She remembered how she'd jumped off the building. She remembered the feeling of the air hitting her face. She remembered the adrenaline as she fall rapidly from the sky, but did she hit the ground? She didn't know. Her body felt numb, but that's just it. Everything felt normal.

"Ah, I suppose this is what they call the 'Afterlife'. Silly me, why did I even think of doing that mission?" She laughed casually at her own mistake. Her eyes started to well up with tears. "Stupid Ayano..."

"Child, stand up." A gentle voice commanded. Ayano shot her head up and gave a slight whimper.

"You wished to see me, yes?" The darkness shifted, Ayano could make out a figure starting to form. It was a girl, no taller than her. She had darker hair than Ayano's, and it reached down her knees. Two sections of her hair were separated from the rest and were flowing freely on her front. Ayano wondered if the girl would trip because of her long hair, but she figured that it was no time to think about silly thoughts.

"A-Azami..." Ayano stammered as she quickly scramble to her feet.

"Yes, that is I. What could a mere child want from me?" Azami asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ayano gulped. Her subconscious self seemed to yell 'run!', but Ayano didn't want to waste this opportunity, "You're not gonna ask how I knew you?"

Azami scoffed, "You are Kenjirou's child, correct?"

'Remind me not to question her again.' Ayano scolded herself.

"Now, what are your true intentions?" Azami asked again. Ayano feared that Azami was starting to get impatient. For a split second, she saw Azami's hair dance like snakes.

"I...uh...I" Ayano started fiddling with the edge of her skirt.

"Go on." Azami said in a softer voice. Although intimidated by her appearance, Ayano was rather entranced by her voice.

"I want those eyes." Ayano admitted, her breath hitching as she spit out the words.

Azami stared at her with mild interest, "For what purpose?"

"I...I want to make people happy. Yes, I want to make people happy!" Ayano exclaimed, choking back a sob as she thought of her family. There was also one person...one person that she wanted to help.

"I'm useless. I-I couldn't do anything to help my family. I couldn't even make my friend smile!" Ayano continued, the last part referring to Shintaro.

"And what if their happiness could only be achieved...in exchange for yours?" Azami gave her a sly smile, a chill shot down Ayano's spine.

"...I don't care," Ayano grumbled. "I just want them to be happy."

"Well said, child." Azami complimented, "You shall receive the 'eyes' you wished for, however, this will bring a great burden upon yourself."

Before Ayano bursts into tears, she managed a smile for Azami. "Thank you."

Azami couldn't deny the fact that she admired how the girl ignored her warning. She could only wish that things would work out for the young lad, "Stay strong, child."

* * *

When Ayano opened her eyes, she was welcomed by the bright rays of the sun.

"I'm back?" Ayano asked, squinting under the sunlight. Everything confused her. Why was she suddenly in the middle of the road? The scene looked normal, TOO normal. And that's what scared her. She tried to go with the flow, she she walked casually across the road. She stopped for a moment, glancing at the stop light.

_It's gonna turn red pretty soon. _

She spun around and was about to leave, until she heard a loud screeching noise followed by a crash. Intantly, she turned around to see what happened.

She saw a girl covered in blood, but was it her blood? Ayano didn't think so. The girl fell to her knees and cried.

"Hibiya!"

* * *

Shintaro sat quietly on his chair. He looked to his side and noticed that Ayano wasn't there yet.

'She's probably late,' he thought to himself. 'Then again, I was pretty harsh on her yesterday...'

He sighed in frustration, it wasn't his fault that he always snap at Ayano. He couldn't blame himself. That girl would always come up with antics that would surely drive anyone crazy.

About an hour had passed, class still hasn't started. Shintaro assumed that the teacher was late, so he took this as an opportunity to catch some sleep. He propped his book neatly in front of him and rested his head on his desk. He saw some of his classmates standing idly outside the classroom. All of them had crestfallen looks, some of them were even crying.

Shintaro stared at them, studying their every move. _What's up with them?_

One of his classmates walked toward his direction, he automatically pretended to be asleep. He's not really in the mood the interact with anyone today. Much to his surprise, his classmates walked past him and stopped in front of Ayano's desk. There, he placed a bouquet of flowers.

_Pft, that's too cheesy. Ayano's not gonna fall for that. _Shintaro inwardly smirked. Then again, he couldn't ignore the sad look on the guy's face.

That's when he realized what the situation was.

* * *

"Hibiya! Someone, please help us!" The girl cried as she cradled the bloody boy in her arms.

People only stared at her with pitied looks, it only made her feel more helpless than she already was.

'That boy is her happiness.' A voice told Ayano. 'Don't you want everyone to achieve their happiness?'

"This can't happen...no...no...the boy...he shouldn't..." Ayano said to no one in particular.

'What are you gonna do, Ayano?'

* * *

**Welp, this chapter didn't come off as exciting as I had planned it to be. Anyway, don't worry. I already have plans for Chapter 3~ Btw, guess what Ayano's eye ability is :D (really, I have no idea). That's all for now! See ya in the next chappie~**


	3. Twisted Summer

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Project/Days or any of its characters. **

* * *

**Yoooooosh! I'm back xDDD anyway, I have nothing much to say, so please go on with the story.**

* * *

_'That boy is her happiness.' A voice told Ayano. 'Don't you want everyone to achieve their happiness?'_

_"This can't happen...no...no...the boy...he shouldn't..." Ayano said to no one in particular._

_'What are you gonna do, Ayano?'_

__"Hibiya...please...don't leave me..." The little girl cried, hugging the boy despite being covered in blood.

**Everyone deserves their happiness. **

Ayano smiled to herself, "My eyes..."

**That's right. I sacrificed my life for this pair of eyes. **

Ayano looked up and stared at the girl, her eyes glowing bright red.

**I know what I'm able to do. Yeah, I'm gonna give them their happiness. **

Ayano walked towards the girl and knelt next to her, "Don't cry. I'm gonna help you get him back."

* * *

Upon hearing of Ayano's death, Shintaro was pulled into heavy depression.

_Why her? Ayano was such a kind girl, she always looked so happy. So why? Why would she choose to die? _

After the last semester, Shintaro was forced to quit school because of that incident. He could no longer focus on his studies. No, not when that girl is on his mind. She was his bestfriend. She was one of the only people he treasured so much. He may have been acting mean towards the girl, but it was only to hide his true feelings.

_She was crying. Yeah, I remember now. Little did I know that it would be the last time I'm seeing her. _

He was still traumatized by her death. It was a big loss for him. Moreover, he knew he could've done something to stop her from committing suicide. Maybe he should've talked to her when she was crying, but no, he was weak. He didn't know what to do, he ran away. He left her alone.

_I at least wanted to see your smile one more time..._

"Wow! This computer is neat!" A voice chirped, startling Shintaro.

He turned his head to his monitor and saw a girl hovering around his desktop. Shintaro nearly fell from his seat.

"W-WHAT IS THIS?" Shintaro shouted, clicking the girl and dragging it to his recycle bin. "Please please please don't be a virus."

"Ahh! That's so rude! I'm not a virus, I'm Ene!" The girl yelled as she tried to pry the cursor away from her.

"You're sure you're not a virus?" Shintaro asked, temporarily moving his cursor away from the girl.

"Of course not! Are you an idiot? Can't you see I'm a cyber girl?" Ene crossed her arms and puffed her cheek.

"Great, now I'm talking to some cyber thingy. I'm losing my mind." Shintaro stood up and plopped on his bed.

"Ara, you have a lot of interesting games in here." Ene mused and she checked his folders one by one. Shintaro tried his best to ignore the girl's blabbering.

"Hey, this file has a funny name!" Ene exclaimed. She suddenly fell silent, Shintaro wished she would stay like that. "My, my, are you old enough for stuffs like these?!"

Instinctively, Shintaro shot up from his bed and hurried to his computer. He clicked Ene's jersey and dragged her away from his 'folder'.

"Y'know, I can send that folder through the internet if I want to." Ene smiled deviously at Shintaro.

"Ugh, I know where this is going." Shintaro sighed, "What do you want?"

"You can start by not dragging me around." Ene scoffed. Shintaro sighed yet again before letting go of the cyber girl.

This is gonna be a long, annoying summer.

* * *

Hiyori was more than thankful when Ayano offered her help. She didn't know what happened next after talking to her, she just woke up on her bed. She breathed heavily, beads of sweat trailed down her neck.

"Was it just a dream?" She asked. She looked at her clock, it was 7AM. She was gonna meet up with Hibiya around 8:30 or so.

With that in mind, she jumped off her bed and readied herself.

**_That's right, Hiyori-chan. I'll grant you your happiness._**

* * *

"Nee Hibiya..." Hiyori muttered as she swung back and forth.

"What's wrong?" Hibiya asked, looking at her worriedly. Hiyori had been acting weird ever since they met up. ****

**__**"I had a really scary nightmare last night," Hiyori frowned, a black cat snuggled her knee. She picked it up and put it on her lap, "Neko-chan is cute..."

"Well, it's just a nightmare. Forget about it." Hibiya replied. Hiyori could be a little childish sometimes, but he thought she was mature enough to tell the difference between dreams and reality.

"I hope you're right." Hiyori mumbled, smiling sadly at the cat. It ran off and crossed the street, Hiyori quickly stood up and chased after it.

"Ah! Hiyori, wait up!" Hibiya shouted as he started running. Hiyori remembered her dream. They were almost there. The place where Hibiya died.

"No, I have to catch Neko-chan." Hiyori insisted, flashing Hibiya a grin, "stay here."

"But Hiyo-" Hibiya's sentence was cut off. A truck came rushing their way and he watched in horror as Hiyori got hit. Her small body couldn't have survived such impact. Her blood splattered and stained Hibiya's clothes. The stench seemed permanent to his nose.

"Hiyori!"

**_No! It can't end like that! Both of them deserves to be happy, I don't like this ending. They have to live. They have to survive. They have to be happy! _**

* * *

"Onee-chan..." Kido muttered to herself, folding her clothes neatly and putting them inside her baggage.

Today, they were gonna leave the Tateyama household. It wasn't like Mr. Tateyama wanted them to leave, but they knew they were old enough to handle themselves. Besides, they didn't want to be a burden to Mr. Tateyama. Especially after his daughter's disappearance.

"Tsubomi, don't cry. I'm sure that Onee-chan's in a happy place." Kano tried his best to smile, but he couldn't. Instead, he used his 'eyes' to deceive Kido.

"Don't call me that, and I'm not crying." Kido shot back, although a new set of tears welled up in her eyes, "And wipe that fake grin off your face, it's disgusting."

"Ahah, Kido knows me too well," Kano's eye ability wore off, and he himself started to choke back a few sobs.

"Geez, you guys. Nee-chan's not gonna like it if she sees us like this." Seto smiled sadly at them. He, too, had been crying since Ayano's death. At the very least, he could control his emotions better than the rest, "Well Leader, ready to go to our new Secret Hideout?"

Kido nodded, wiping off the last of her tears, "Mekakushi Dan, let's go."

* * *

**Soooo have you guys figured out what Ayano's eye ability is? xDD I suppose I can clear it up in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed this one~ **


	4. Dancing with the Haze

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Days or any of its characters.**

* * *

**HAI PPL, I'M UPDATING BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE UPDATING. MAN, I saw how the follows and favs of this story increased, I really appreciated that. I love all of my readers! QAQ **

* * *

"To be honest, I don't really like summer that much," Hiyori admitted as she swung back and forth as usual.

"Neither do I..." Hibiya mumbled, "I'm sick of it."

Hiyori looked up at Hibiya with sad eyes, she too, had been starting to realize what was happening, "Sorry for dragging you into this."

"I don't blame you..." Hibiya said through gritted teeth. It was another hazy day, another bloodthirsty summer. Hibiya rubbed his eyes in hopes of getting rid of the haze which he had grown to hate.

**_I want the both of you to be happy. Don't realize that I'm helping you? But you two always waste the opportunity I give, that's why. Haha, you deserve all of this. _**

So many accidents, Hibiya tried to avoid each of them. He tried to save Hiyori, but no matter what he did, the day always ended with Hiyori dying. "I'm so sick of this..."

**_Stop complaining. I'm getting tired of this too, but I won't stop unless both of you survive._**

The time came where Hibiya couldn't take it anymore. He knew there was one way to save Hiyori, and he didn't like it. His life for hers. He had to take her place.

The day repeated, they were at the park. The heat of the sun embraced the young boy. The girl ran, a truck came...

the boy died.

**_Pathetic! Couldn't you find another way to save Hiyori-chan? Come on, I know you can do better than that. Stop being such a wimp. _**

White stood out among the darker colors. Dull red eyes watched as the loop went back to square one. The tall young man looked up at the sky, despite the brightness of the blazing sun. Haze danced around his curious eyes.

"Are you...enjoying this?"

* * *

A lot of things happened during his last summer. Ever since Shintaro met the Mekakushi Dan, his life got a tad bit interesting. Instead of spending the whole day in front of the computer, he chose to go out more often, usually hanging out with his weird new friends. Unique, as he likes to call them. Their meeting was a complete mess. He wasn't really supposed to be part of the 'gang' anyway, but he was forced to since he found out about their secret.

"Red eyes?" Shintaro said boredly.

"Yes. We all have red eyes, including your sister." Kido gestured her hand towards Momo.

"For all I know, Momo's eyes aren't re-" Shintaro stopped when he saw Momo's eyes flicker.

"Those who have red eyes are granted a special ability." Mary exclaimed, a proud smile playing on her lips.

"Mary's eyes can penetrate people." Kano added, only to earn a kick from Mary.

"So, you're saying that all of you guys have super powers?" Shintaro replied with mild amusement, at the same time, he was trying to avoid Mary's gaze in fear of getting penetrated.

"Yes," Kido replied meekly.

"Then, can I leave now?" Shintaro asked, pointing at the door.

"No, you've already learned of our secret." Kido said sternly.

"You were the ones who revealed it to me in the first place." Shintaro scoffed.

He was scared that he'd feel out of place since they were younger than him and all of them had special abilities, but they proved him wrong. Rather, he felt like a normal guy whenever he hangs out with them. All of the things he missed during the years of solitude, they're getting them back now. He was happy, happier than he could ever be...but something felt missing. It was like there was a scar in the back of his heart.

_It still hurts..._

He tried to forget, and he nearly succeeded, but why is it that she keeps on coming back to his mind? _Maybe she's haunting me..._

Normally, Shintaro would be freaked out at the realization of having a soul following him around, but he didn't mind if it was her. He'd actually welcome her if ever she really was haunting him.

_And I used to shout at you whenever you follow me around, ironic.__  
_

* * *

"I failed this time too..." Hiyori grumbled, tears dripping on her blanket.

The day repeated yet again, she was given another chance, but she doubted she could save the boy. She doesn't know how long she's been trying to save him again, how many times this unfortunate day had repeated.

Outside her window, the haze twisted. Dark hair whipped in the wind, a scarlet muffler danced in the air. Her red eyes glared holes at the young girl's window.

"You finally reveal your true form." Ayano turned to face the speaker. _I remember that voice. _

"Who are you?" Ayano asked in a dull tone. She had a hard time staring at him straight in the eyes since she was too short to be in his eye level.

"I am Konoha." The tall boy replied. He tilted his head slightly, his expression not changing, "What's your name?"

Ayano blinked owlishly, "My name's A-Ayano."

"Pretty name." Konoha mused, Ayano's cheeks tinted pink at his compliment. The two sat in silence, staring into Hiyori's window. They both knew what was gonna happen, and they weren't sure if they really wanted to watch. "Does this entertain you?"

Ayano cocked her head to her side, "What do you mean?"

"Their deaths. Do you find it enjoyable?" Konoha asked innocently.

"I think you've misunderstood this..." Ayano rubbed her temples.

"I understand. I understand what's happening. All of this is because of you." Konoha said with complete certainty.

"I'm trying to help them, how can you say that I'm at fault?" Ayano asked, hinting mild annoyance in her voice. Her eyes switched from red to grey, then vice versa.

"You're still struggling for control." Konoha said, frowning a little. This was the first time Ayano saw him change his expression. "You're losing yourself."

"I...I don't understand what you're saying." Ayano shook her head and clutched her hair.

"Don't let it control _you._" Konoha looked at her. His expression was neutral, but his eyes were more than enough to show how he felt. Ayano saw worry.

"Ayano..." Her heart raced. She didn't know what was happening. Konoha's voice became faint, nearly inaudible. "Stay strong."

Her vision dimmed and her mind went blank. _Everyone, I'm sorry..._

* * *

"My, my, this lad is truly unpredictable," Azami mused, watching Ayano from afar.

"I thought you could handle that power...I thought you wanted this responsibility..." Azami sighed, "You are still very young, I knew you wouldn't be able to control that but...you had such determination."

Azami flipped her long curly hair and looked away from the two wielders of red eyes, "You two need to learn how to use your eyes properly, ah, and _that_ boy has to open his eyes. This is gonna be troublesome..."

* * *

Ayano lost consciousness after talking to Konoha. Just as she was about to hit the hard ground, Konoha jumped off and caught her. Not knowing what to do, Konoha decided to let her rest on his lap.

"A day without a haze is nice..." Konoha closed his eyes, feeling the gentle breeze hit his face. The tree sheltered them from the sun's heat, Konoha wanted to envy Ayano for being able to have such a good nap.

"Shintaro..." Ayano mumbled, her mouth twitching into a frown. Konoha felt something wet on his lap, then he noticed that the girl was crying.

"Who's Shintaro?" Konoha asked. He stared at Ayano's sleeping figure as if he actually expected her to answer.

"Mmm..." Ayano moaned in response. Konoha decided that it was useless to talk to a sleeping girl. His eyes twitched and his chest constricted.

"What a reckless girl, you are." He grumbled in a low voice. His hair slowly darkened and his dull red eyes changed into sharp golden ones.

"I hope you don't make more stupid decisions. I don't want you to end up in the same path as I am."

* * *

**And that's all for Chapter 4! Thanks for the follows, favs and reviews! They encourage me to write, so really, thanks a lot. Do leave some reviews, I want to know what you think about the story.**


	5. Normalcy

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Days or any of its characters. **

* * *

**Kyaaaaa I was so excited to update! Nee nee, I slept late last night because of this xDDD I had to think of a good plotline, so yeah. By the way, I bet you noticed that KonoAya moment in the previous chapter :D weeeell, I was thinking, if Jin is gonna pair Shintaro with Ene, I might as well pair Ayano with Konoha. Everybody's happy! **

**-looks at the fandom's glare-**

**Eeep! Fine fine! If you don't want it, then I won't ship it DDD: well, what do you think about it? I reaaally need your reply guise! QAQ**

* * *

"It's quiet today..." Shintaro said after a big yawn. He wondered why Ene had stopped playing pranks on him. He hadn't even seen Ene for like, a week or longer. Shintaro wasn't sure if he should be worried, Ene was the type of girl who could cause quite a lot of trouble, but she knows how to keep herself safe.

He opened his e-mail and saw another file being sent to him. Naturally, he clicked it and downloaded the file.

"Master, I'm bacccck!," exclaimed Ene. Shintaro rolled his eyes and glared at the cyber girl. "Where have you been?"

"Awww, was Master worried?! How rare!" Ene squealed, gaining another irritated sigh from Shintaro.

"Seriously..." Shintaro looked at his clock and stood up. "We're gonna meet up with the others in a few minutes, I'll go take a shower. STAY. HERE."

"Got it!" Ene tried giving him a thumbs up, but ended up waving her long sleeve instead.

When Shintaro left, Ene thought of messing around with the names of his files, but she felt like she wasn't in the mood to do so. Instead, Ene sat down and hugged her knees, her frown was a big contrary to her cheerful facade.

"Haruka...sorry for being such a slow-worker," Ene sighed, hugging her knees closer, "I kinda got a little...sidetracked."

For the past week, Ene had been breaking into several firewalls and hacking into suspicious sites. She'd been looking for tracks, hints, anything that would give her information about where her friend had gone.

Haruka was the most important person to Ene. They were always eating together, studying together, smiling and laughing together. She was sick, no, they both were. Everytime she faints, she wouldn't remember a thing about what happened...but during her last moments...

She remembered everything, her memories were so clear, yet, she wished to rid of them. Her past was unbearable.

"I'm not an experiment, I'm Ene." Ene muttered, biting her bottom lip as she thought of her last moments as a human.

She watched as her town got blown to bits. She heard screams of agony, cries of terror, and the laugh of the men in white coats.

"Ara, this one got away." Takane turned, she nearly fell on her knees.

"T-Teacher..." She stammered, gaping at Ayano's father.

"Oh, no need to call me that around these guys. Call me 'Mr.' Tateyama." He replied with a cold smile.

Takane wanted to scream, but she couldn't find her voice. Her headphones gave off static noises, then someone spoke.

"I'm sorry..." Why did she hear her own voice? She didn't understand a thing that was happening. And to make things worst, she started having an attack.

"Poor thing," One of the scientists murmured. "Maybe we can use her, too."

Mr. Tateyama sighed, "We only needed one test subject."

Takane turned her head and looked at one big cylinder tube. Inside, she saw a boy that looked awfully familiar to her.

"Well, we can always have an extra test subject..." Mr. Tateyama smiled bitterly at Takane.

"No...please...", then everything went blank.

_Child, you've nothing to fear. Open your eyes and you'll wake up in a world different than this one. Run, child. You want to survive, yes? _

"Ene? Ene, are you listening?" Shintaro asked, lifting an eyebrow. He was already in his jersey and his hair had been already combed, sort of.

"A-Ah, yes Master!" Ene rubbed her eyes, feeling a little queasy. "Ugh, my eyes feel weird."

"Maybe it's because of the radiation from all the electrical devices you've been messing around with." Shintaro replied sarcastically, not even stopping to catch his breath.

"Ahahaha, Master's words are always so pointless." Ene teased. _When I'm with Master, maybe I can forget. Maybe I can start a new life, and forget about my horrible past. Maybe I can finally laugh from the bottom of my heart...maybe...just...maybe._

* * *

"Hibiya, the dream was different last night..." They were back at the same park, occupying the same swing set, thinking about the same things, and worrying because of the same reason._  
_

"It was a better one, right?" Hibiya smiled at Hiyori. Today felt different. It was like he was filled with new hope. Hope for what? He didn't know. He wasn't sure, but it made him feel better. It was like something heavy was taken off of him. Was he free of his burden?

Something fell on his cheeks. _Water?_

They looked up at the sky and noticed how the clouds had become darker and heavier. _Rain?_

"Hiyori, let's go look for some shelter." Hibiya held her hand and started running. _This feels...normal. It's strange to be normal. It's scary._

"E-etto, I think I'll go home for now." Hiyori shrugged. Hibiya smiled and hastily let go of her hand. _Being separated from you also feels normal. Weird, isn't it?_

"Bye." Hibiya waved his hand. Hiyori smiled at him and gave him a hug.

"Bye, Hibiya-kun." Hibiya felt his hair raise. It's been a long time since he last heard Hiyori use honorifics in his name.

_Good bye..._

* * *

"She's not here today." Azami mused, her eyes wide with surprise. Her snakes hissed and danced around her neck. "Or at least, she's got control for today."

Ayano shivered in rain. She was alone, standing in the sidewalk. Clutching her red scarf, she hid her pained smile. "Control, huh?"

Her eyes flickered red, but she rubbed them away. She looked at the puddle beneath her and looked at her reflection. "Grey eyes..."

"Dad said he loved my grey eyes..." Ayano smiled at her reflection. _Right now, I'm Ayano. I wanna stay like this a little longer. _

Today, there was no haze. It was just the rain.

_Pitter, patter..._

The rain's noise felt new to her ears.

_Drip, drop..._

The raindrops that fell on her face was rather soothing.

She opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. The rain made it a little misty, but it was better than the haze. The mist covered the darkness of the world, the haze was a lie that revealed your darkness.

"What is this called?" A familiar voice asked. Ayano spun around and saw Konoha.

"This is rain." Ayano replied, smiling kindly at the oblivious man.

He didn't answer for a while, but he kept staring at the dark clouds. "It's cold."

Ayano giggled half-heartedly, "It's better than the heat of the sun..."

Konoha stared at Ayano, "Do you like the sun's heat?"

Ayano shook her head slightly, "No, I sort of hate it."

Konoha seemed to think for a while before answering, "The haze likes the sun's heat."

Ayano pursed her lips, Konoha was smart, although he was pretty much an airhead. It didn't seem like he knew much about his environment, but he adapted so quickly. He was very observant, Ayano noted.

"I will...leave this world." Konoha mumbled. Ayano looked at him in disbelief. _Was it possible to leave this world?_

"How?" Ayano asked, her voice cracking with curiosity.

"I don't know, but I will." He sounded so sure of himself, even Ayano wanted to believe him. She wanted to leave this world too, but could she? Would she still be 'Ayano' if she comes back?

"Good luck." Ayano smiled at Konoha before leaving. _I don't want to cause anymore problems. I want everyone to be happy, but they can't be happy when I'm around. I know why...it's because...because...I..._

_I am the 'Kagerou'. _

* * *

**Soooo, how's that?! Oh goodness, I've been reading more infos about the characters, and my mind's all jumbled again! Nevertheless, this is a fanfic, I can write what I want, right? oAo''' Still, I'll be using some theories in this story. I hope you also enjoyed this chapter! (I wrote this while I was having fever, forgive me for my late update) And please, I really need to know what you think about KonoAya and ShinEne. **


	6. A World to Return To

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Days or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Kufufufu I'm updating fast nao~ I'm glad that you didn't mind that KonoAya ship xDD don't worry, ShinAya is still somewhere out there *hint hint* Oh what am I saying? DDD: Okay, fine, I'm still verrrry unstable with my ships. I SERIOUSLY have NO idea whom Ayano would end up would. Anyway, I'm gonna stop ranting and continue with the story :U **

**Btw, since I don't want to confuse everyone, I'll explain the first scenario. To those who have read the Kagerou Days novel, I suppose you would understand. Anyway, here's what happened. When Hibiya got separated from Hiyori (I have no idea how they got separated), Hibiya met someone. And that mysterious someone said that he wouldn't mind if Hibiya follows him, as long as he has no regrets. I also have no idea who that mysterious person is, but I'm gonna make that Konoha in this fanfic. **

* * *

_"I will...leave this world."_

Konoha woke up to the sound of chirping birds. He looked to his side and his eyes widen in shock. Hibiya lay unconscious on the grass.

"Uhn..." Hibiya groaned, slowly shaking his head. He opened his eyes then blinked. "What is this place?"

"Who are you?" Konoha asked in return, giving Hibiya a weird look.

"I already told you my name..." Hibiya grunted.

"You did?" Konoha asked in confusion. He didn't remember talking to Hibiya, nor how he ended up in this place.

"Sheesh, you really suck at remembering names. It's Hibiya." Hibiya said with a sigh. He looked around once more and noticed that they were at the riverbank.

"Oh, well...you can call me Konoha." Konoha stood up and inhaled. _The air feels...different. _

Hibiya stumbled. Konoha looked at him and saw tears in his eyes. "I'm...I'm back."

"Back?" Konoha tilted his head. Hibiya looked annoyed, but he supposed he should be thankful anyway. Konoha was the one who helped him after all.

"This is, this is the real world. Our world." Hibiya's said, wiping his tears away. He had no idea how he knew, but it felt like he was back. It felt like time finally started running. He was home.

"Oi! Are you guys okay?" Someone shouted. The two spun around and saw a group of teenagers staring back at them.

"Uwah! You guys picked a great spot! It's really nice in here." A blond boy exclaimed, running with his arms wide open as if imitating an airplane.

"Idiot, you're gonna embarrass us in front of them." The green haired girl hissed while glaring at the playful boy.

"G-guys, pipe down." A girl in blue dress stammered. She was riding on her friends back, which Hibiya thought was funny. Especially how her friend was dressed in green all over.

"Sorry about that, by the way, what are you guys doing here?" The guy in green asked, turning to Hibiya and Konoha.

"We-" Konoha was cut off when Hibiya suddenly spoke.

"Nothing, just enjoying this nice afternoon. The weather's good today, the sun's not too bright. It's not that hot." Hibiya answered intelligently. Konoha seemed to find it amusing how Hibiya acted so matured. Technically, he was supposed to be matured anyway. He's older than what he looks like. Probably a teenager by now if he weren't trapped in 'that' world.

"Mary! Jump off Frog-kun's back! Let's plaaaaaaay." The blond guy teased, tugging at the petite girl's hood.

"A-ah, I don't feel like playing." Mary squeaked out.

"Awww, c'mon!" The blond boy kept on tugging at her hood.

"I said I don't want to!" Mary snapped, her eyes glowing red. Hibiya thought he was seeing things, but the red glow lasted more than five seconds, he knew he was seeing something real.

"Why isn't he moving..." Konoha muttered, poking the blond guy in the shoulder.

"Uh-oh, Mary-chan did it again." The green guy chuckled. "You don't have to petrify him, y'know? I'll teach him a lesson if he makes Mary-chan cry."

"Petrify?" Hibiya asked, wrinkling his nose.

The green haired girl rubbed her temples in dismay, "Not this again..." She turned to Hibiya and Konoha with a straight look on her face, "You guys, come with us."

"Why?" Hibiya asked. They haven't even introduced themselves yet, now they want him and Konoha to come.

"Explanation later, just come with us. You have to." The girl huffed. "By the way, my name is Ki-"

"Tsubomiiii!" The blond boy exclaimed, once he was free of penetration. Instantly, the girl whacked him in the head.

"Kido. Call me Kido." The girl said, tipping her hood slightly so they could see her face. "And that idiot is Kano."

"The green guy over there is Frog-kun." Kano smiled deviously while rubbing his head.

"Frog-kun?" Konoha imitated.

"Weird name." Hibiya sweatdropped. "Not like I'm one to talk..."

"My name's not Frog-kun. I'm Seto." Seto shrugged. "And this is Mary-chan."

"N-N-Nice to meet you." Mary covered her face with her hood. She's still not used to talking with people, other than Seto of course.

"I'm Hibiya and he's Konoha." Hibiya pointed at the tall white-haired guy. To Seto's surprise, Konoha was even taller than him.

"We need to go back now, Shintaro and Momo are waiting." Kido turned around and started to walk off.

"Shintaro?" Konoha narrowed his eyes. _Shintaro...Ayano's Shintaro? _

"Mhm, you'll meet him later." Kano grinned at him. "Now let's go!"

* * *

"The boy got away? How?" Azami asked, gently patting her snakes.

"So Konoha helped him...powerful guy, he is. Also very unpredictable, just like _that_ lad." Azami smiled. Somehow, watching those two had entertained her. Both of them held an unimaginable amount of power in their 'eyes'. Azami knew that they were gonna have trouble controlling their inner demons, but she was confident. "Those children will go through a lot..."

The scorching heat of the sun returned. Another day filled with haze, but something was different. There were no cries, no screams, no accidents, no deaths...Hibiya and Hiyori were no where to be found.

_Has the groundhog loop come to an end?_

The haze made it hard to see clearly. The haze twisted, another mirage formed.

"Ayano, show yourself." A commanding voice boomed. A tall man stood in the middle of the road, there was no haze around him. The sun rays avoided his way, or did he bend the light itself?

"Who are you?" Ayano asked, although she did not reveal herself. She used the haze to cover her body, rather, she blended herself with it. _The haze is the Kagerou's friend._

"You know who I am." A crooked smile broke through his face. His dark hair covered some parts of his face. His golden eyes pierced through the haze, he was staring straight at Ayano. "Do you want to...leave this place?"

* * *

"What's taking them so long..." Shintaro yawned. Kido asked him and Momo to watch over their base while they were away. It wasn't like he had a choice, so he agreed. He didn't really feel like going outside too much anyway.

"I'm bored." Momo said flatly, flipping through the pages of the magazine she was holding. She was just looking at the pictures, not really bothering to even read a single word from the articles. "Hey, it seems quiet. Where's Ene?"

"Dunno. She comes and goes by her own will. She calls me 'Master' ,but she never really listen to what I say." Shintaro replied with a sigh. Suddenly, they heard someone knock. He got up and straightened his jersey, "I'll go get it."

He turned the knob and held his breath. _Am I expecting something?_

He used to think that maybe one day...she would knock on his door. Maybe she'd come back. Maybe he could see her smile again.

_Now's not the time for that..._

He opened the door. Brown eyes met dull red. A sense of familiarity washed through him. There was something about his eyes that gave him a weird feeling. A strange warmth, and an odd feeling of guilt, the feeling only comes when he thought of Ayano's smile. It was like through this man's eyes, he connected to her. He connected to Ayano.

"So you're...Shintaro."

* * *

"It's...it's none your business." Ayano shivered under his stare. The man looked exactly like Konoha, although his clothes were much darker.

"I'll take that as a yes." Kuroha smirked. He walked a few steps closer to Ayano, but he stopped upon meeting her gaze.

"I don't want to come back." Ayano bit her tongue, of course she wanted to come back, but she didn't know if that was the right thing to do. With her new abilities, she was different. She couldn't control them yet. She was someone else. She was a monster.

"Don't you want to see 'him'?" Kuroha taunted. Ayano choked back a sob.

"N-No...he's happy. I'm sure that he's happy right now." Ayano forced a laugh. _Shintaro would be happy when I'm not around. Everyone would be happy when I'm not around. _

_I don't want to cause them sadness. I don't want to see them cry...but I can't control myself. I'm...I'm a monster now. Yes, the monster within me is stirring. A monster like me doesn't deserve happiness._

She felt arms wrap around her. It was warm, unlike the rain. It was gentle, unlike the sun's heat.

"I...I don't need your sympathy...I..." Tears welled up in her eyes. How long has it been since she last made contact with another living thing? "No...I don't...I just...I..."

"I understand." Kuroha mumbled. _He was dark. He was wicked. He was evil...but he's also Konoha. _

"You only think about other's happiness, but you...you're not happy at all."

_Madder red...was that what I wanted?_

"You always think about others, but do you ever think of yourself..."

_I...I wonder if I had been a good elder sister to those guys? _

"You're always worried about someone else's future, but what about yours?"

_Shintaro, I'm sorry..._

* * *

**-cries- UWAAAAAH I CAN'T PICK BETWEEN KONOAYA AND SHINAYA ;A; Someone please help meee...anyway, so Konoha and Hibiya made it back to the real world (Konoha's eyes sure come in handy), but how on earth was Kuroha able to talk to Ayano? Omg, maybe Konoha forgot to bring him along, poor Kuroha D: Lololol nah I'm just messing with you guys. So yeah, I'm not sure whether Ayano would go back to the real world or not. And what's Kuroha planning? Why was he asking if Ayano wanted to go back? Ugh, I'm confusing myself ;-; **

**Sidenote: Writing would turn out to be crappy when your dad's watching the tv with a volume of 100 and when you're partly having a writer's block. (Writing this chapter was so challenging for me...I'm sorry if it's not that good.)**


	7. Game of Fates

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Days or any of its characters.**

* * *

**HOHOHO, yeah, sorry...I'm being a lazy writer again zzzzz. I've been so sucked up in my own little problems lately, and they're haunting me in my dreams. I haven't gotten any good sleep since 'that' dream (I will never enjoy my summer vacation because of this). I couldn't even focus on my stories ;-; Yeah,yeah I'm really sorry. I'll get serious with my fanfics now. **

**Btw, thank you, 'Zavvy' for correcting me xDD I'll fix that chapter immediately! I'm really really really thankful when you pointed that out, sorry btw. My mind tends to drift off somewhere else when I'm writing =u= so my mind's 'dictionary' goes loco.**

* * *

"Ayano, I'm gonna have to leave soon...that's why I'm asking if you want to leave this world too." Kuroha lowered his head. He didn't know Ayano that much, they weren't really close, but he couldn't stand thinking that he'd leave someone behind in this cruel world.

"Why do you have to leave?" Ayano asked blankly, obviously attempting to avoid his question.

"I can't be separated from Konoha." Kuroha scratched his neck awkwardly. _Technically, I AM Konoha. _

"Then why are you here?" Ayano continued.

Kuroha swallowed, "I didn't want to leave just yet."

Ayano chewed on her lower lip, "And why's that?"

He sighed, their conversation was beginning to sound pointless. He noticed how Ayano had directed the topic away from his question, but he played along anyway, "Look, I can't leave you here, okay?"

Ayano stared at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Kuroha knew that she wanted to go back, but she was scared of completely losing control of her powers. She was scared that she'd hurt her friends.

Kuroha shrugged, Ayano was quite hard to deal with, "I've been here longer than you, so I know more about this place. I picked up a few tricks here and there."

Ayano cocked her head, looking mildly interested.

"You can connect to the real world through dreams." Kuroha looked at his hands, they were starting to disappear. His whole body was becoming transparent.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ayano asked. Her scarf was covering her mouth, so her voice came out a little muffled.

Kuroha rubbed his palms together, "Just in case you change your mind..."

"I already told you, didn't I? ...I'm not coming back." Ayano replied coldly, although her eyes showed how much sadness she was suffering from.

Kuroha gave her a small smile. _I wonder if...Konoha could smile, too?_

"I'm not gonna let you hurt your friends, I promise." With those words, he vanished, leaving Ayano stunned. _Did he really mean that?_

She didn't know if she could trust him, but what is this feeling...why did she suddenly feel so light...why did things suddenly have a positive side..._Am I happy?_

She lifted her hand and touched her lips. She felt her lips curving upwards, she was smiling. It felt rather new to her, despite being the bright girl she was back then. Never had she smiled truly after entering this world. She thought she'd left her smile behind. A smile that brightened up everyone's mood. A smile that covered up everyone's solitude. A smile that hid her own pain.

But now, it's back. She was smiling. She felt happy.

_Thank you._

* * *

'This Mekakushi Dan is really weird,' thought Hibiya as he watched the rowdy group. 'I bet Hiyori would love to meet them'

Hibiya wasn't sure about how he felt after separating from Hiyori. Something from the back of his mind told him that it was their farewell, and Hibiya had accepted that. _Bye, Hibiya-kun. _

The memory of their meetings were etched in his mind. He'd never forget the moments he spent with Hiyori.

"Hey, Hisiya-kun." Momo greeted, patting Hibiya on the head.

"It's Hi-Bi-Ya." He growled. Momo had been calling him the wrong name for the umpteenth time this day, "Oba-san, should I wear a name tag for you?"

A nerve popped on Momo's forehead, "Who're you calling Oba-san?!"

"You guys are too noisy," Kido chided while flipping through the telephone yellow pages, "What do you want for dinner?"

"I want pizza!" exclaimed Kano, hugging Kido from behind. Immediately, Kido spun around and kicked Kano in the face.

"Pizza sounds nice." Seto said with a friendly smile.

"What's a pizza?" Mary and Konoha asked in unison.

"Oh, uhm, how do I explain this...er, it's bread with tomato sauce, topped with cheese, vegetables and any other toppings you like, sort of." Seto smiled sheepishly.

"Wah...that sounds delicious." Mary's eyes sparkled as she tried imagining what a pizza looks like. On the contrary, Konoha kept a neutral face.

"Eh, I was craving for barbecue right now." Momo wailed, plopping lazily on the couch. Konoha's ears perked up.

"What's a barbecue?" Konoha asked.

"Err, let's see...it's a grilled food on a stick?" Momo shrugged. Now, it was Konoha's turn to have sparkly eyes as he imagined how barbecue would taste like. Momo glanced at Hibiya and gave him a questioning look.

"I guess he doesn't know much about foods?" Momo chuckled awkwardly.

Hibiya felt beads of sweat run down his neck as he thought of an excuse, "A-Ah! Y-you see, he's little bit of an airhead."

"That's mean." Momo pouted. Hibiya scoffed in return.

"Umm, okay. Shintaro, are you good with pizza and barbecue?" Kido asked, turning to Shintaro.

Shintaro didn't answer. Ever since Konoha and Hibiya came, he'd been very silent. It didn't help that Ene still hasn't come back. Shintaro just kept on staring at Konoha. He had so many questions rumbling in his mind. He was so confused.

"...Shintaro?" Kido repeated. Shintaro noticed that everyone else was looking at him, including Konoha.

"I'm not hungry. Uh, I-I'll go get some fresh air." With that, Shintaro got up and left. He needed time to think, time to settle things in his mind.

The wind in the night was cold, it gave him goosebumps. He couldn't imagine how dead he would be if he didn't wear his jersey.

_This jersey...Ayano liked this jersey. _

He smiled sadly as he reminisce about his good times with Ayano. _Shintaro-kun looks good in a red jersey! _

_But it's so hot. I don't like wearing jerseys._

_But it really suits Shintaro-kun! _

_I don't like red, too. _

_Red is a nice color! _

_I don't want a red jersey._

_But a red jersey fits Shintaro-kun. _

_Fine, I'll get a red jersey._

'Ayano, I never win in any of our arguments, no?' thought Shintaro, brushing his hair with his hand.

"Shintaro, the others are looking for you." Shintaro turned around and saw Konoha standing a few steps away from him. Again, he was staring at his dull red eyes. The feeling came back. He felt like he was seeing Ayano through Konoha's eyes.

"You...how did you know my name?" Shintaro asked, referring to the first time they met. He remembered how Konoha said his name with slight familiarity.

"Kido and the others mentioned your name." Konoha replied simply, but Shintaro knew he was holding something back.

"Is that all?" Shintaro spoke in a serious tone, but it was clear that he was pressing the topic. He wanted to know more.

Then he saw Konoha's eyes flash gold.

Shintaro blinked, Konoha's eyes were red again.

"Onii-san, there you are!" Momo cried, barely able to breathe, "Don't just...don't...run off like that!"

"I'm sorry. Let's head back." Shintaro looked away from Konoha and apologized to his sister. _Konoha, whatever it is that you're hiding from me...you can't hide it forever. Your eyes...Ayano..._

* * *

**Short chapter ;-; gomen gomen, I'm saving the best scenes for the next chapters xDDD And so, Shintaro is finally catching up. Oh Konoha, just spill the beans already and tell him that you met Ayano! And Kuroha sure is more expressive than Konoha, huh? Oh whatever, I'll see you guys again in the next chapter! **

**Me: Ayaaanoooo, don't lose control ;-; Fight it, rise above it! (Gods Eater Burst, Dr. Oguruma reference totally intended)**


	8. Crossing Paths

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Days or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Yus, late update ftw~ Oh geez, my plot line becomes more and more complicated when I don't write it down =3= And again, I'm still confused...I like both KonoAya and ShinAya...Welp, I made a decision. If this story ends with KonoAya, I'm gonna write another story that has a ShinAya ending. If this story ends with ShinAya, then I'm gonna write a KonoAya fanfic. Now, everyone's happy! -cough- Ayano reference -cough- **

**Kukuku...I talk a lot, don't I? ;-; **

* * *

"Dreams..." Her hazy eyes gave off a red glow as she looked up at the sky, "Maybe...maybe I'm gonna try that one trick."

Wrapping her muffler around her neck, she spun around and smiled. _How much time do I have left?_

* * *

It's already been a week since Shintaro's last conversation with Konoha. He felt restless. He wanted to know what was going on. He wanted to unfold his secret.

"Shin-ta-RO!" yelled Kano. Shintaro let out a yelp and glared at Kano.

"What the hell was that for?" He hissed, rubbing his ear. Kano whimpered.

"Oh no! Shintaro-kun is angry~!" Kano batted his eyelashes, causing both Shintaro and Kido to punch him in the face, "D-D-Danchou-sama, I w-why-"

"Because I felt like punching you." Kido cracked her knuckles and went back to her seat.

"Good morning," greeted Seto with a smile.

"Ah! Seto's finally awake," Mary quickly ran to give Seto a hug. "Morning!"

Seto scratched his neck and laughed, "Ehehe, I overslept again today, huh? Sorry."

"It's because Seto's been working really hard! Seto deserves more sleep," Mary chided, staring worriedly at Seto.

"Eh? Why do you have to work?" Hibiya asked, "And where's Oba-san?"

"That 'Oba-san's got work too." Kano interrupted.

"Woah...I thought Oba-san was good for nothing." Hibiya crossed his arms.

"Watch your mouth, kid." Shintaro clicked his tongue. Hibiya just rolled his eyes.

"Where's Konoha?" Hibiya asked.

"Do you have to ask where everyone is?" Shintaro shot, earning a furious glare from Hibiya.

"Oi, Member #8 and Member #7, stop fighting!" shouted Kido. All of them fell silent, especially Seto and Kano. They stared at Kido with distant looks on their eyes, then she understood. _Onee-chan, this is supposed to be your job... _

"A-ah, s-sorry. I didn't mean to sound like-" Kido began to say, she bit her lip and let out a quiet sob.

"E-eh, it's okay. You're the leader anyway." Kano chuckled nervously whilst Seto managed a smile.

Shintaro, Mary and Hibiya exchanged weird looks. They wondered why the atmosphere had changed all of a sudden. What's worse is that they're starting to get affected, too.

"...so quiet," Konoha mused, catching everyone's attention. Then, Kido snapped...

"I don't think I can continue this...Onee-chan...she's the real leader...I'm just...I...I want her back...Mekakushi Dan needs her...we need her..." Kido cried, balling her hands into fists.

"D-Danchou?" Hibiya didn't understand anything, but it was as if he could relate to what they were feeling.

"Onee-chan?" Konoha and Shintaro said at the same time.

"A-ano...why is everyone looking sad?" Mary asked, suddenly becoming teary-eyed. Seto ruffled her hair and smiled.

"Mary-chan, go to your room for now." Seto instructed, but Mary shook her head. "I want to know...I want to know what's causing everyone to look so sad."

Kano stood up and walked towards Kido. He didn't make a joke, he didn't laugh, he didn't even smile...he just stood in front of her.

"Kano, I don't want to-" Kido's sentence was cut when Kano shouted. "What's wrong with you?!"

"Kido-no-Tsubomi...Tsubomi's not like this. Tsubomi is a strong girl, fit for a leader. And I know that...I know that...Ayano-nee wouldn't like to be the root of all this! Ayano-nee hated seeing us cry..." Kano held back his own tears and forced a smile.

With wide eyes and mouth ajar, Shintaro asked in a shaky voice, "A-Ayano?..."

Kano, Kido and Seto all turned to Shintaro.

"I guess it's about time we tell them about Mekakushi Dan's history." Seto said with a small smile. Kido wiped her tears away while Kano patted her back comfortingly.

"Our Onee-chan, Ayano, is the founder of Mekakushi Dan." Seto stated. Shintaro jumped in surprise.

"Are you okay?" Kano asked. Shintaro gulped.

"Oh-uhm-I really need to go to the bathroom..." Shintaro bit back his tongue and left. _Small world..._

The three blinked owlishly, they began to wonder if Shintaro had some connections with Ayano. Then again, it was normal of Shintaro to act all goofy.

"Onee-chan..." Kido mumbled, her lips curving downwards.

"Ah, Onee-chan's gonna get angry if she finds out about this! C'mon, don't be such a downer, Ki-Danchou." Seto grinned at their leader.

Kano nodded and smiled, "I wonder if...Ayano-nee's in a happy place."

* * *

"What a troublesome girl," Azami pouted, "Haa...it's gotten a little boring when the two boys left. Do you think they're coming back?"

Her snakes hissed in response. Azami smiled mischievously, "Of course, there's no way they're leaving this little lady alone, yes?"

* * *

"H-her? The first l-leader of Me-Mekakushi Dan?...Really...what is the world coming to." Shintaro's whole body trembled. _Small world indeed. _

"Shintaro." He turned around and saw Konoha. _And why is this guy following me? _

"What do you want?" Shintaro asked, tucking his shaky hands in his pocket.

"So you really _are_ Shintaro." Konoha cringed a little. Shintaro saw a few streaks of gold appearing in his eyes.

"Y-yeah...what of it?" Shintaro mumbled, trying to act cool.

"Hibiya and I...we were trapped in another world..." Konoha said with a slightly uneasy face.

"...What?" Shintaro deadpanned.

"In that world, repeating time was possible...but I only know one person who could do that." Konoha continued.

"Why are you telling me this?..." Shintaro asked, biting his lip nervously.

"In one of those endless days, I met a girl with a red scarf around her neck." Konoha made gestures that went on with his description, "Her name was Ayano."

Konoha noticed the shocked look on Shintaro's face. He bowed his head, his bangs covering his eyes, "What's wrong Shintaro? You look rather alarmed."

"No-I was just-I...I..." Shintaro trailed off, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Ayano never smiled, not truly at least." Konoha continued, still keeping his head lowered. Shintaro gritted his teeth. _You're wrong, Ayano's always smiling. _

"When she sleeps, she would often cry." Konoha's tone became noticably lower and darker. _Ayano...I only saw her cry once. Why does he know so much about Ayano? _

"And whenever she cries...she only exclaims one name..." Konoha looked Shintaro in the eyes, " 'Shintaro'."

_Shintaro-kun! Don't you know how to smile? _

_Nee, Shintaro-kun...let's take a picture! This time, you really have to give me your best smile!_

_Mou! This time for sure, I'm gonna make Shintaro-kun smile! _

_If anyone makes Shintaro-kun cry, I'll beat them up! Shintaro-kun should always be smiling!_

"...Ridiculous." Shintaro muttered, receiving a confused look from Konoha. "Your story is ridiculous."

Konoha pursed his lips, "Believe it or not, what I said was true. In the short time I spent with Ayano, I have come to grow fond of her. Ayano is truly a nice person, but there's one thing I want to see. I want to see her smile..."

_Why haven't I...why haven't I thought like that before? Why was I so selfish? Why couldn't I be the one to say that?_

"So this punk likes Ayano..." Shintaro broke into fits of laughter. "Really, I couldn't care less."

_Stupid! I'm so stupid! What am I saying?! _

"She's dead anyway. You're pathetic. Just move on, brother." Shintaro patted Konoha in the back before walking off.

_No! He just said he met Ayano. She can't be dead. Ayano's somewhere out there. _

"Master, you're talking about yourself! How immature!" A voice scolded. Immediately, Shintaro pulled out his phone and saw Ene.

"E-Ene?" Shintaro sweatdropped.

"Yes! Who else could it be?! Or perhaps my master had already forgotten about me?" Ene made a pouty face. "Ah! By the way, welcome to Mekakushi Dan, new member!"

"Ha?" Konoha asked, scratching his head in confusion. _The atmosphere made a perfect __180_°. Really Ene, sometimes you amaze me. 

"Nice to meet'cha! My name is Ene, the cyber girl~! Oh, and you're Konoha, right?" Ene's grin reached her ears. "Let's be friends!"

* * *

**And thus, their paths have finally crossed. This chapter also marks the beginning of Konoha and Shintaro's rivalry. REALLY. HELP ME. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE. I LIKE BOTH KONOAYA AND SHINAYA. HELP ME CHOOSE. Please review your answer, if ShinAya gets the most vote, then ShinAya it is. But if KonoAya wins, then Konoya. See ya in the next chapter! I'll try to update sooner. -waves hand-**


	9. Sweet Dreams

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kagerou Days or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Ahehehe, long time no update! Please don't kill me QwQ I had a bad case of writer's block...so yeah. Btw, have you guys watched Jin and Shidu's ****Namahousou?! Because I didn't. Yay. I feel like a failure orz**

**Btw, I've been reading a lot of theories. Some are really messed up and I didn't like them v_v Anyway, Imma continue the story nao. Enjoy! **

* * *

_What an eventful day,_ thought Shintaro. He flexed his fingers and leaned away from the computer screen.

"Ene, why didn't you tell me that you were already back?" Shintaro asked with mild annoyance.

"Kukuku, I was thinking of playing a prank on you." Ene replied, grinning mischievously. Shintaro rolled his eyes.

"Master, I know that you hate the new guy." Ene said, Shintaro almost fell from his seat.

"W-which new guy?" Shintaro asked, pretending to be naive.

"Konoha." Ene answered. Shintaro was shocked when Ene answered in a serious tone. It was very rare of Ene to take anything seriously.

"So what if I do?" Shintaro snorted. _He acts as if he knows Ayano THAT much. Pathetic. I'm not even sure if what he said was true. Why the heck would there be an alternate universe? _

"Master, are you still interested about my past?" Ene asked, smiling sadly at Shintaro.

Shintaro's eyes widened slightly, "Yeah-but...if you don't want to, I respect your privacy."

"Ahaha, no it's okay. I'm ready to talk about it." Ene replied in a cheerful voice. _Nothing's gonna happen if I keep on running away from my past anyway._

"Okay...so, uh..." Shintaro scratched his neck awkwardly, "Were you human back then?"

"Of course! Master, what kind of stupid question is that?" Ene teased. Shintaro knitted his eyebrows together.

"Well, what was your 'human' name?" He asked. Ene's smile grew wider.

"My name's Takane Enomoto!" Ene exclaimed. Shintaro rubbed his chin.

"Have I heard that name before...?" He muttered to himself. Ene puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Master doesn't remember me! Uwaa!" Ene cried.

"Heh, I got nothing." Shintaro shrugged casually.

Ene glared at Shintaro, "And Ayano-chan said you were their top student."

"And what if I was-wait, you know Ayano? Hah, really. Who DOESN'T know Ayano." Shintaro put a hand in his forehead. "Ah, I never knew Ayano was this popular."

"Master, are you stupid? You really can't remember?" Ene asked, starting to sound a little irritated.

"Like I said, I got nothing." Shintaro said in response.

Ene huffed, "Culture festival. Shooting Games. Haruka. Takane. Master."

Both of them paused for a moment. Shintaro let the words sink in before saying...

"...so you were that 'oh-so-full-of-herself' school girl?"

Ene glared harder at him, "You're one to talk!"

Another pause.

"Anyway..." Ene sighed, "The reason why I'm always gone is because...because...I'm looking for my friend, Haruka."

"That's really sad, but what does that have to do with me?" Shintaro drawled.

Ene ignored his statement and went on, "Before I turned into a 'this', my whole town was bombed. I was able to get away but...I don't know if Haruka survived."

"Look, I really pity you but that can't be helped, okay?" Shintaro answered back.

"I remember one thing about my final glimpse of the human world...I saw a man inside a tube. I saw...I saw Konoha."

Silence filled Shintaro's room. He was too shocked to even react. Just a few hours ago, he nearly had a fight with Konoha and now...he finds out that Ene knew Konoha. Too much information in just one day, Shintaro couldn't let them all sink in. All of those shocking revelations, he didn't know he could accept them all. It was all...too...much.

"That's not a nice joke, Ene." Shintaro said, trying to sound upbeat.

"But Master, I'm telling the truth. I met Konoha before...he...he could be the evidence I'm looking for. He could be the way for me to find Haruka."

"I need to sleep now. Good night, Ene." Shintaro replied, smiling a bit before turning off the computer.

"But Mast-"

"I'm sorry..."

* * *

"Agghhh!" Ayano cried, clutching her head. "Stop this!"

In a distance, Azami kept a straight face as she watched the girl cry in agony. "You have to fight it, Ayano. You wanted this power, you wanted this responsibility. You said you were ready."

"No...please...just a little longer...Shin...Shintaro..."

Azami crinkled her nose, "Why are you enduring all this pain...just for a man?"

With tears in her eyes, Ayano cried. "Please..."

Azami sighed one more time. "Feelings like that would only be a hindrance...I hope you know that."

She lifted her hand and gestured towards Ayano. Upon flicking her fingers, Ayano lost consciousness. "Off you go to the wall that separates my world and your world...go and find him. Meet him in a dream."

Ayano's body slowly became transparent, until she completely vanished.

"And it shall be fate who decides whether it's your last time meeting him or not..."

"By 'fate', I suppose you meant 'me'?"

Azami turned around and locked her gaze with the third presence in the room. "So you came..."

"Yeah, but I only came here to check on her. I knew she was here all along."

Azami pursed her lips, "Does it not bother you seeing her in pain?"

"Yes, but...she needs to discipline herself. I think she deserved that."

"You are truly unbelievable." Azami shot back.

"Well, I must be going now. I think those children are gonna need my help."

Azami watched as the person got swallowed by the darkness, his cheeky grin disappearing last.

* * *

_It's weird being able to have double existence... _

A black Shintaro and a red Shintaro. They chose different paths and lived different lives. One moved on and found new friends, the other chose solitude and continued to cling to the essence of the past.

_It's weird being able to know what could happen if I chose those paths..._

One died saving a friend, the other died mourning for his biggest loss.

_It's weird being able to find out that I would die whichever road I choose..._

He opened his eyes and found himself back to his old classroom. The classroom where he met Ayano. The colors twisted, a figure suddenly formed. Her colored smile was able to outshine even the brightest star in the sky. Next to the window, she stood. Her eyes glowing a fierce shade of red.

_It's weird being able to see you one more time..._

One stood his ground, ready for anything that would come his way. The other ran, clawing in the air as if drowning in the vast ocean.

_But of course, anything could happen in a dream. _

"Shintaro-kun, I'm really sorry..."

"What for?"

"For leaving you with so many problems."

"It's not your fault."

"I might give you problems in the future too..."

"Ayano, you never give me problems."

_Yes, just another dream..._

"Shall we say our good byes now?" She smiled sadly at him.

"Why do you have to leave?" She didn't answer.

_A dream that would come to an end..._

"I'm sorry I died."

"What are you talking about? You're alive. You always will be, in my memories...in my heart."

"...Shintaro-kun, take care of everyone else for me, 'kay?" She smiled tearfully while wrapping the red scarf around his neck.

_Because dreams are supposed to be like that... _

He reached for her face, but before their skin touched...she disappeared. _It's always like that. _

_Dreams will always end once 'reality' comes knocking on your door. _

* * *

Shintaro woke up with a start. He put a hand to his chest to calm his heart. He took deep breaths and wipe the sweat off his face. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a burning sensation.

"My eyes..." an image of Ayano flashed in his mind..."Ayano's eyes shouldn't be red,"

His lips curved into a frown. He thought he moved on, but it's starting again. He's remembering her again.

"I hate it when this happens..."

He hugged his knees and let out a few sobs. As the fan blew air in his direction, a familiar scent caught his attention. The scent that would always calm him down.

Tearful and disoriented, he lifted his head and looked at his left hand.

There, he held Ayano's scarf.

* * *

**HUEHUEHUE Yes, I used Loss Time Memory as a reference in this chappie~ Anyway, I have a short letter for everyone: **

**Dear Readers, I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I was really happy when I found out that the readers of this fanfic had increased. I also have good news for everyone! This story is currently the most followed, I am very grateful for that. Really, I love you guise. Thanks for supporting this story. Even though I'm very lazy and busy, I'll try updating if I can. That's all. **


	10. Shimmering Red

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KagePro or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Hey guys, very sorry for the late update. Not only have I been experiencing writer's block, school suddenly kicked in and ruined my schedule. Another reason why I couldn't update, I was studying KagePro's wikia. Man, a lot has changed. Jin sure got busy making plot twists. I just want to let you guys know that my story will now drift farther away from KagePro's originial plot. From now on, my story will not be based on anyone's story. Now, it's just a plain ol' fan fiction about Kagerou Days. I hope this doesn't stop you from reading my story, but if you want to, okay then. Really, I appreciated all of the follows, faves and reviews! I love my readers ;~; **

**Okay, I'm probably boring you to death because of this rant. Here's the new chapter~ **

* * *

"Ayano's scarf..."

His fingers tightened around the crimson fabric. _But wasn't it just a dream...?_

Trembling, he willed himself to stand up. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes red and puffy from crying. _How long had I been crying? _

His gaze never left the muffler. He thought he was losing his mind. It was a dream, he tried to convince himself. Dreams weren't supposed to come true, dreams aren't supposed to be linked to the real world...

_"Shintaro-kun..." _

"And now, I'm hearing her voice. I really _am _crazy," he said.

He tried shaking her image out of his head. Pale face. Forced smile. Red eyes.

"What happened to you..." The Ayano he remembered was a happy-go-lucky kind of girl, but why did she feel different? Sure, she really was Ayano, but there was something off about her. Shintaro couldn't put a finger on it.

_"Are you happy?"_

Several knocks broke the silence in his room, "Onii-chan, are you okay?"

He jumped slightly in surprise, "Y-yeah."

Momo slowly opened the door and peered in, "...are you okay?"

Shintaro was gonna ask why she repeated her question, but decided not to anyway. Her gaze fell on the scarf he was holding. Shintaro wasn't sure if Momo knew Ayano, but the look on her face gave it away.

"I'm okay," he lied. He pushed the door lightly, feigning an irritated glare, "Get out. I'm gonna change."

"Nii-chan..." Momo trailed off, her voice dripping with pity. Shintaro hated it whenever she acted like that.

Ignoring the sad look on his sisters face, he slammed the door close. He was feeling different emotions at the same moment. He was happy that he met Ayano again, he was worried about why Ayano looked sad, he was sad that Ayano disappeared so suddenly. _Incredible..._ he thought bitterly, _It's incredible how you twist my feelings with little effort, or maybe none at all. _

* * *

"Ah, much better..."

Ayano stretched her arms, a wicked smile plastered across her face. She took notice of her tattered school uniform and grimaced. Flicking her fingers, a red light emerged from her body. Seemingly glowing red ribbons wrapped around her body. She was now wearing a kimono, similar to that of Azami's.

"Uwaa, so this is 'the' Shinigami's taste in fashion? Not bad."

((Random scene passing by~ "This is not funny," Azami hissed. "One does not simply steal my kimono."))

She blinked rapidly, then frowned. Her eyes remained aglow. _What am I doing?_

She touched the nape of her neck, feeling uncomfortable without her scarf. _I've always thought the scarf would protect me from danger. _

She blinked yet again, the twisted smile returning.

"Ah-mou, I'm getting bored. I hope they come here to play.

_I guess that was just another childish belief of mine. _

* * *

Later that day, Shintaro - along with Momo - went to meet the other members of Mekakushi Dan.

"Onii-chan, are you sure about this?" Momo asked. Shintaro heaved a sigh, delicately wrapping the muffler around his neck.

"Yes, I don't know what Ayano wanted me to do but...", his fingers traced the fine details at the end of the scarf, "Maybe this scarf would help."

_This was her most prized possession, she wouldn't give it away for no reason. _

He nervously opened the door, trying to keep his heartbeat steady. _If Ayano was brave enough to entrust me with her favorite item, I should also be brave enough to let go of my grief. _

"Kisaragi-san, Old lady, why are you late?" Hibiya growled. Momo glared at him, whilst Shintaro headed to the living room.

Kano sleeping on the sofa, a random magazine covering his face. Konoha was sitting on the next sofa, occupied with the triceratops figurine that Hibiya had lent him. Kido was probably in the kitchen, since Shintaro could make out the smell of chicken curry cooking. He assumed Mary was with her.

"Where's Seto?" Shintaro asked. Konoha looked away from his toy and stared up at Shintaro.

"Work." He replied. Shintaro noticed that Konoha was now staring at the red scarf. "Why are you wearing that?"

"Long story." Shintaro waved a hand in dismissal.

Konoha furrowed his eyebrows, "_Why_ are you wearing that?"

"I said it's a long story, okay?" Shintaro snapped.

They both stopped and stared at each other.

"Shintaro-kun, I'd like to hear you out." A familiar voice mumbled. Konoha and Shintaro turned to Kano, who was now wide awake. He couldn't comprehend what Kano's expression was like. He wasn't mad, but he certainly wasn't happy. _Maybe he's using his powers to hide his true face...as usual. _

"What connections do you have with _our big sister_."

* * *

A loud crash startled everyone in the flower shop.

"Seto-san, what happened?" Someone shouted. Seto scratched the back of his head.

"I broke a vase, I'm sorry!" He shouted back. Red roses were scattered on the floor, he found himself staring intently. Why was he suddenly feeling weird today? _Red roses, huh? Of all colors...why red?_

"Seto..." A gentle voice cut through his train of thoughts. Disregarding the roses, he turned to the smaller girl and smiled.

"Ah! This is embarrassing. I shouldn't be fooling around in front of Mary-chan!" Seto chuckled awkwardly. Mary's lips curled into a small frown.

"Is something wrong?," she asked. Seto shook his head and grinned.

"I'm just a little dizzy, that's all." Seto replied. Mary inhaled sharply.

"You should rest! Let's go back now. I'll make you some tea!" Mary pulled Seto's hand, or at least she tried to.

"But Mary-chan, I have to work." Seto smiled sadly at the silver-haired medusa.

"Please?" Mary's eyes started welling with tears. Seto bit his lip, she knew he couldn't stand her.

_But Mary would never use that look on me unless she really wanted to go..._

Worry was hinted in Mary's face. Seto knew her so well, but he didn't understand. Something felt odd.

_She must've felt it too..._

* * *

Kido clicked her tongue as the knife cut her thumb.

"Darn it," she lifted her hand and bit the injured finger, sipping the blood and spitting it on the sink.

She stood there for a moment, staring at the blood dripping from her thumb. She didn't mind the sting from being cut, but the color of her blood intimidated her.

A sudden wave of nausea hit her, she immediately ran towards the bathroom.

_Red is also the color of blood..._

"Danchou-sama...?," she heard someone say.

"Go away, idiot." She snarled, wiping the bile off her lips.

Suddenly, it was quiet. _And the idiot actually left, _she concluded. Kido finally opened the door and nearly stumbled back. Kano stood in front of her.

"D-d-don't scare me like that!" She yelled in frustration, Kano grinned. _Stop grinning, idiot. You know I can see right through you. _

"Shintaro-kun told me a _very_ interesting story," with that, Kano grabbed Kido's hand and led her to the living room.

She saw Momo and Hibiya arguing about something, and next them were Shintaro and Konoha. Both had an indescribable look on their faces.

The color of red caught her eye, and now she's looking at her _sister's_ scarf.

And then, she understood.

No words needed to be said, because she understood it all.

"I, Tsubomi Kido," she paused to draw a breath, "hereby proclaim Kisaragi Shintaro...the new leader of Mekakushi Dan."

* * *

"Just a little longer, my sweet little puppet."

A quiet chuckle escaped from his lips. The crooked smiled on his face was more than enough to explain everything.

He liked having the heat-haze as his company. If more, he found it comforting to be in the presence of the haze.

"My sweet...little...puppet."

* * *

**AND THAT'S ALL FOR NOW~! Man, this chapter is quite short. Well, do you have any idea whom the 'puppeteer' is? I suppose I could give you a few more hints...or not. Meh, I'm sure you'll get it. **

**Ayano: Why are you making me sound so evil? **

**Scarlet: Wait, you're not evil. **

**Ayano: Why would I be evil? I'm KagePro's angel, remember? -halo and wings appear- **

**Scarlet: You mean 'self-proclaimed' angel? **

**Ayano: I hate you. **

**Scarlet: You're welcome.**

**Konoha: You made Ayano-nee mad. **

**Scarlet: I'm the writer here, therefore, I'm the most powerful one. **

**Konoha: -throws kebab at Scarlet's face-**

**Scarlet: Kehehe, do that one more time, and I'll make you suffer in the next chapters. So, uhm, see y'all in the next chapter!**


	11. The Wolf's Hungry Eyes

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KagePro or any of its characters. **

* * *

**Sorry for the late update! Been busy with school lately, sheesh. I still have my homeworks piled up in the corner of my room, but meh. I'll go finish them later. Aaaaanyway, I noticed that the faves/reviews/follows have stopped increasing.**

**-inserts crying Scarlet-chan coin-**

**Okay, so yeah. Probably my fault for not updating ;-; I'm sorry! I'll try to update every Saturday if I can. Really, I think I should go fix my sched . By the way, I'd just like to remind you that my fanfic is now taking it's own stroll. This ****_is_**** a fan fiction anyway, so why not. I also noticed that almost all of my readers are ShinAya fans! I'm glad~ I ship ShinAya too (-cough- though I'm beginning to love KonoAya -cough-) Sorry, my ship's a little messed up. By the way, I'm gonna write a KonoAya fic soon, hope you drop by to read it :D **

**And now, ON WITH THE STORY! **

* * *

_Ever since I received Ayano's scarf, everyone started acting weird._

"Shin-Kisaragi-san, are you okay?" Seto asked, giving Shintaro a small smile. "You seem a little...dazed."

Shintaro pursed his lips, thinking of a reply. "I'm just...not used to this."

_What is with this scarf? Why does everyone suddenly look up to me? _

"The scarf troubles you, doesn't it?" Konoha mumbled, poking his triceratops with a barbecue stick.

Shintaro made a low 'tsk', _Mr-know-it-all has finally spoken. _

"What makes you say that?" Shintaro growled as he rose from his chair.

"A-ah, y-you guys s-shouldn't f-fight! Fighting is-is bad!" Mary stammered in an attempt to stop Konoha and Shintaro. Seto sighed and placed his hand on Mary's shoulder.

"Because..." Konoha trailed off, "...it troubles us, too."

Silence.

Hibiya, Momo and Mary didn't understand why Konoha, Seto, Kano and Kido seem so wary of the scarf. Despite that, they knew they all had their own reason.

"I still have one question though..." Kido suddenly asked, no one noticed that she was also in the living room, sitting next to Seto. "How did you get Onee-chan's scarf?"

Shintaro bit his tongue, he wasn't sure if they were gonna believe what he was gonna say.

"He met her in a dream." Konoha didn't know what made him say that, he just did it without thinking.

"...Konoha's right." Shintaro said, looking down. "But I don't understand. I don't get it. I don't know how I got the scarf. I just...when I woke up, it was there! Honest!"

"Onii-chan, it's okay. We...we believe you...although none of this really makes sense." Momo replied with uncertainty. Her heart sunk a bit when no one supported her response.

"Ah-ano, where's Kano-san?" Mary asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Shintaro.

Kido sighed, "The idiot's still sucking it up. He went out, said he needed air."

"That's odd, Kano never acts like that." Hibiya mused. Mary nodded in agreement.

Seto scratched his neck, "He's probably just a little stressed...well, everyone's a little stressed."

"Hey Konoha..." Shintaro said. Everyone fell silent and turned to him.

"You know Ayano, right?" Shintaro asked, a shadow casting over his face.

"Yes." Konoha said. Everyone, including Kido, gasped.

"No...that's not possible. Onee-chan is...onee-chan is..." Kido's voice started to shake, as well as he body.

"...dead." Seto finished. Mary gripped his hand, hoping to remind him that she was there to comfort him.

"That's what I thought." Shintaro chuckled.

"Master knows Ayano, too!" Ene exclaimed, everyone looked at the computer. "Oops, I said her name too."

"Everyone...knows Ayano?" Konoha asked, confusion written all over his face.

Kido and Seto exchanged questioning looks, how could they be unaware of this?

"Ah! How about we all spill what we know about Ayano-chan! C'mon, let's open up! We're a group, aren't we?" Ene said in a cheery tone, a tear slid down her face, "Ayano-chan would like us to become open to each other, wouldn't she?"

* * *

"I'm gonna prepare a welcoming party for them!"

Ayano gracefully her hands, red aura emerging from her palms.

Walls started forming in different places, facing different directions. The walls shared the same material, same color and the same texture. It made a strange formation all around her, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Would anyone be interested in a maze game?"

* * *

"Ayano...you are choosing the wrong path." Azami said with a drawl.

"But this isn't your fault, is it? I'm sorry, I didn't notice 'til now. Child, please forgive me." Azami heaved a sigh as she stared down at the young girl.

"I never thought he would interfere. I never thought he would do this. I never thought he would manipulate anyone, and especially not you."

She paused, looking at Ayano with sympathy.

"Because you were his most precious daughter."

* * *

"Onee-chan, do you hear me?"

Kano looked up at the clear blue sky, waiting for a response.

"Eh, you're as silent as ever!"

He plopped down on the soft green grass, his eyes still glued to the sky. It was a nice weather, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"I knew that this day would come..."

He chuckled a little, watching the little birds fly in the sky. One big bird and three small birds, playing altogether.

"But I made myself believe that it wouldn't."

His smile vanished just as soon as it appeared. Another bird appeared and got the eldest bird's attention, leaving the three little birds astray.

"I've always wished that this was all just another lie."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Kido rubbed her temples, "Shintaro is onee-chan's classmate. Ene used to be onee-chan's friend. And Konoha met Ayano only recently?"

"Wow." Hibiya said monotonously, "That sure makes a _lot_ of sense."

Momo whacked him in the head, "This is no time for your sarcasm to take the spotlight."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Seto asked, knitting his eyebrows together.

"You never asked." Shintaro replied nonchalantly, Ene nodded abruptly. Seto groaned and turned to Konoha. "And your story...I don't even get it."

"I'm telling the truth, but it's up to you if you're gonna believe me or not." Konoha said. For a moment, Seto wanted to use his 'eyes' to see if everyone was telling a truth, or is simply pulling a prank on him, but he decided not to. His eyes only brought him trouble, and he didn't want more of that.

"But if it's true, would that mean...we could meet onee-chan again?" Seto said.

Everyone paused.

"Seto, that's...I don't know." Kido replied, obviously becoming more stressed. "More importantly, Kenjirou-san needs to know of this."

"Kenjirou-sensei? You know my teacher?" Momo suddenly asked. Everyone groaned.

"I'm just gonna pretend that everyone knows everyone." Kido said.

"Agreed." Seto replied.

"I'm gonna go get Kano. When I get back, we'll decide whether we should go see Kenjirou-san or not." Kido said as she stood up and pulled her hoodie over her head.

"Tsubomi..." Seto began to say, Kido was surprised to hear him call her by her first name, "Do you really think Kenjirou-san has to know?"

She sighed, she knew that Kenjirou had mental breakdowns before...but it was all in the past. She assumed that it would be okay to let him know.

"He's onee-chan's father...our father. He deserves to know."

* * *

"Very well said."

He clapped his hands in false mockery.

"It's not that I'm unaware of this...if only you had any idea how everyone's playing in the palm of my hands."

He adjusted his glasses and smiled as he licked his lips like a hungry wolf.

"But it's not entirely my fault, is it?...I'm just leading everyone to their rightful paths. A path which I believed to be the only solution for everyone to gain their happiness...Death."

Once again, he slipped into the shadows. His chuckles echoing throughout the dark alley.

"Please be patient, youe _unforgettable _reunion will be held pretty soon."

* * *

**AHA! And I finally revealed whom the puppeteer is ._. Woot woot, this story is nearing it's end. Scarlet-chan is sad Q~Q But fret not, for I shall be writing a new chapter story! InwhichIstillhavenoideaofwhowilltaketheleadingrole /shot**

**Ayano: I didn't get much screen time, huh? :0 **

**Scarlet: Shh shh you'll hit the spotlight soon enough. **

**Konoha: I kinda miss Ayano. **

**Scarlet: DARN IT I SAID SHE'S GONNA BE THERE SOON OKAY? JUST WAIT.**

**Konoha: ...-noms on kebab- ._. **

**Shintaro: You guys are unbelievable ._.**

**Ayano: Oh hai, Shintaro-kun! ^-^**

**Shintaro: Yo. **

**Scarlet: EVERYONE SHUSH. I shall end this chapter nao, see ya again, er, maybe next week? Oh well! Let's hope that I get into the mood for writing. Adios! **


	12. To Meet You Again

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KagePro or any of its characters.**

* * *

**GOMEN FOR BEING AN INACTIVE WRITER. I've been really busy with school projects and homeworks, plus, they made me the leader, meaning I had to do most of the work. Yeah, it's been a tiring week for me.**

**Btw, I'm sure you noticed that Ayano's has not been acting like Ayano lately due to the 'Kagerou'. So for now, I'll be referring to her as "Kagerou" instead of "Ayano". Hope you don't get confused. **

**So yeah...enjoy this chapter.**

**P.S: This chapter is special, therefore it shall be written in Kano's POV. Because Kano is awesome, that's why.**

* * *

I was casually dragged back to the base by our leader. Typical, isn't it.

"How did you find me?" I asked, blinking rapidly.

Kido snarled, "Do you really need to know? We're sort of in a hurry right now, in case you didn't notice."

"In a hurry for what?" I asked.

"We're going to our old house." Kido muttered under her breath.

I stopped in my tracks, my hands falling limply back to my side. "Why?..."

"Kano, it's not the time for us to become emotional. We're not doing this for some cute, reminiscing-related reasons." Kido replied nonchalantly, her gaze landing everywhere except my eyes.

"I'll pass." I grinned at Kido, though she didn't look amused at all. She looked like she want to kill me on the spot.

"Shuuya Kano," She said in a dangerously low voice, "You're coming with us, whether you like it or not."

"Tsubomi...I don't understand." I paused, taking a deep breath. "Haven't you moved on yet? Look, Mekakushi Dan is doing great now. We finally have an 'official' leader, the one whom Onee-chan has passed the hero's role onto."

"Yes, I'm very relieved that we have a new leader...but this matter isn't about that." Kido finally looked at me in the eyes, her lips thinning into a straight line."Onee-chan is alive. I don't know how, I don't know why, I don't know where she is, but I'm sure that she's alive."

"...I didn't know you have a sense of humor." I giggled a little, but she kept a straight face.

"This is not a joke. I'm sure of this...I'm sure that Onee-chan is still alive. We'll meet again. We'll get her back." She said through gritted teeth.

I sighed, Kido always won the argument. "I'm not sure about this, but fine."

And for once, she smiled.

How long has it been since she last smiled?

"Well, we should be going now. Everyone's waiting for us." She said, before gripping my wrist and pulling me along.

"Wait-they're coming with us?" I asked out of confusion. "Konoha, Hibiya, Momo and Ene has nothing to do with this."

"Oh, you missed out a lot while you were gone. You'll catch up once we get back, I'm sure they don't mind repeating the story for an idiot like you."

* * *

"I believe Ene's story...but Konoha? No, just, no."

"Like I said, it's up to you whether you want to believe it or not." Konoha said without looking at me, he was too busy playing with his precious triceratops, I don't think he's even interested in conversing with us.

"...His story is true. It is as weird as it sounds, and that can't be helped." Hibiya said, narrowing his eyes as he continue to speak. "I was also from the 'repeating world', although I was not aware of this 'Ayano' everyone speaks of."

"...Okay." Kid's got a point. Besides, I can't argue with what he said. And I should be the one who could relate most to this. The true statement will always be the weirdest, the most suspicious and the most unbelievable. I know because I've been clinging to that saying for ten years.

"You believe me?" Konoha asked, looking up from his toy.

Heaving a sigh, I hastily nodded.

"Okay, so it's all settled now. Let's head to...to our old house." Kido announced, eyeing me and Seto.

"Did you get Leader's permission on this?" I teased, my eyes darting from Kido to Shintaro.

Kido punched me in the stomach.

"...Yes. And no need to call me 'Leader' and stuff, I don't want to get used to it." Shintaro said with a shrug. He, too, was acting strange. He still wore the scarf, but he didn't look very comfortable with it. It must've been hard on him, too. I remember Onee-chan mentioning an 'interesting' classmate she had, perhaps she was referring to Shintaro.

"Okay, Leader." I teased, feeling contented when he scowled at that.

Going back to our old house would definitely bring back old memories and old feelings.

Now I'm not very good at 'deceiving' when it comes to that.

I want to make this trip as light and casual as possible.

Because I don't want them to see through this little facade of mine.

* * *

A deafening scream broke the silence.

"Ugh, s-she's still conscious." The Kagerou said, almost breathless as she knelt helplessly on the ground. "She's fighting, eh."

"That _is_ her body after all. You shouldn't be questioning why she's trying to get it back." Azami said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"She already gave it to me. She should learn to accept that!" She yelled in annoyance. She pulled at her own hair and removed the red clips, throwing it on the floor and repeatedly stomping on it.

The Kagerou grinned from ear to ear.

"She stopped struggling. Hm, so she really hates it when her things get stomped on, how shallow."

"...If I'm not mistaken, that _thing_ you destroyed just now, was a memento from her mother." Azami mumbled calmly.

"Ah-yes, exactly why I destroyed it."

Azami narrowed her eyes, "You already have her body, what more could you take from her?"

"Oh, I have a lot on my list." She replied with a small smirk.

"...Why..." Azami kept her gaze fixed on her.

"She wished for everyone's happiness, too bad, happiness isn't for free. Everything comes with a price, correct? It was her own choice, she sacrificed her own freedom, her own happiness. So...the pain she's shouldering right now if the pain that everyone was supposed to be handling. She had to bear with this."

"You're not hurting her any further." Azami hissed, her snakes coiling around her neck.

"Try me..."

* * *

"We're here..." I heard Seto mutter.

Here we are, standing in front of our old red-bricked house.

"Uwaah, this is Seto-kun and Kido-chan's home?" Mary mused, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"...Hey, I'm here too." I joked. She only stared blankly at me. "Wahh, Mary-chan is so mean to me!"

Seto patted Mary's head rewardingly. Psh, these guys are so...

"Stop goofing around, will you?" Kido snarled, her hands inside her pocket. She looked uneasy.

"Pft~Going here was your idea! There's no turning back now." I pushed Kido playfully towards the door, leaving the knocking-job to her.

I noticed that Konoha, Shintaro, Momo and Hibiya were all so silent. Ene's probably talking endlessly right now, but I'll never know unless Shintaro removes his earphones and put his phone on loud speaker. Well, Momo and Hibiya don't really know Onee-chan that much, that's why they're not trying to meddle with us. Konoha and Shintaro seem to have an invisible dark aura around them, I don't know why and I'm not really interested.

"Buu, just click the door bell already." I said, accompanying it with a yawn.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nervously pushed the door bell.

The world seemed to slow down as we waited for our foster father to open the door.

Seto and Kido were both nervous.

I, too, was very...very nervous.

About two minutes had passed, and the know finally turned. The door creaked open.

"Sorry, I was in the kitc-Kido?" Kenjirou-san said, he opened the door wider and saw us too. "Seto, Kano..."

"It's been a while." Kido said, bowing politely. We followed her suit.

"Come-Come in." Returning our polite gesture, he welcomed us all to his house. "It's small, but I'm sure we'd all fit inside."

"Thank you for letting us in." Shintaro said, lowering his head.

"Ah, I wasn't expecting to meet you again, Kisaragi Shintaro." Kenjirou smiled at our leader. Something tells me that he's not in good terms with him.

"Teacher, h-he's my brother." Momo stuttered. "Onii-chan, this is my teacher."

"Yes, I know." Shintaro replied with a drawl.

"We've met once-twice, yes? And my daughter used to mention your name whenever we had a little chat." Kenjirou said, "And did I mention that those little chats were very rare?"

Noticing the fight that was brewing, Kido finally spoke up.

"We didn't come here to bicker, we came here to talk about important matters...regarding our big sister."

Kenjirou fixed his collar and motioned for us to take a seat, "Excuse me for my immaturity, go on."

"Kenjirou-san, you were aware of our 'eyes', weren't you?" Kido started. Kenjirou nodded.

"That was the reason why we adopted you." He admitted, his expression hardening.

Kido lowered her head, "I-I see." She cleared her throat and continued, "What we're about to say might sound crazy but..."

"It's okay, I know that you guys are telling the truth." He said, smiling a little.

"Okay, well, you see.." Kido pointed her index finger at Konoha, "That guy, he-"

"Ah-yes, one of my successful creations. I'm glad that he found friends like you guys, what a small world."

"Creation?" All of us turned to Konoha, giving him confused looks.

Honestly, he looked equally-confused.

"I'm sorry, my memories are a bit...unclear." Android-boy said.

"Anyway..." Kido shifted a little, "He claims that he's seen Ayano-nee in...another world."

Kenjirou didn't even show the slightest hint of shock.

"How is she doing?" He asked, his expression turning wistful for a split second.

"...I can't say that she's doing so well." Konoha said, shrugging.

"I have met her too, but only in a dream..." Shintaro said, "Something was...different about her."

Kenjirou smiled dryly, "What is?"

Shintaro seemed to be lost in thought, "I don't know."

"I was gonna ask why you're wearing her favorite scarf a_nd_ how you obtained it, but nevermind that." Kenjirou added.

It became silent again. The tension in the room was suffocating. I didn't like it.

"If Onee-chan is alive..." Seto said, breaking the silence in the room, "I'd do anything to see her again."

"Seto..." Mary mumbled, her big round eyes were full of sympathy.

Kido nodded, "We're willing to do anything...anything to get her back."

Then, they both turned to me...as if they expecting reaaally big words from me.

"I...we...we would be very happy to meet her again." It felt like I needed to say more, I wanted to say more, but I choked on my own words.

"She loved you all so much...she was even willing to _die_ for you." Kenjirou chuckled, "Are you sure you want to see her again?"

"Positive." I blurted out, without another thought.

We all exchanged knowing looks. Although Hibiya, Momo and Mary seemed a little uncertain, they also nodded in agreement.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

And the last thing I remember seeing was Kenjirou's skeptical grin.

* * *

"The wait has finally ended. They have arrived."

The Kagerou smiled slyly, her eyes were as red as the moon of that world.

"Let the game begin."

* * *

**DID YOU KNOW: I was originally gonna post this chapter yesterday, but I got sleepy and decided to postpone it. And today, when I finished this chapter, I accidentally closed that tab without saving the story. **

**Scarlet: Gosh, this certainly is NOT my lucky day. **

**Ayano: -pats Scarlet's back- **

**Ene: Hey! Why don't you give me more lines! -crosses arms-**

**Scarlet: I'm too lazy to think of a script that would suit you =w=**

**Ene: -sends virus to Scarlet's laptop-**

**Scarlet: HEOWOISJOIAJ I'M GONNA REMOVE YOU FROM THIS STORY IF YOU DO NOT TAKE BACK THIS VIRUS**

**Ene: Kukukuku~**

**Ayano: A-ano, stop fighting...**


	13. The Cat and the Sparrow

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KagePro or any of its characters.**

* * *

**I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. Exam week just ended, so I didn't have much time to post. And when I was gonna update on Friday, I lost internet connection. I got it back yesterday, but it was so slow that I could barely even view my private messages. **

**Anyway, I'm really sad that this story is almost ending, but expect that I'll be posting some one-shots every now and then. During holidays, I'll try making a new chapter story. BTW, this August, I will finally get a drawing tablet~! Once I get a tablet, you'll finally be seeing KonoAya fanarts on the inernet :D **

* * *

"Where...are we?" Momo rubbed the back of her head. They weren't at Kenjirou's house anymore.

"Hibiya?" She frowned, Hibiya didn't look so good.

He smiled dryly, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "The repeating world..."

Momo bit back her tongue.

"This is where Onee-chan is?" Kano looked up at the red sky.

"Presumably." Shintaro answered. The place felt weird to him. The air was different. The feeling was different.

He didn't like this world.

"What a weird place!" Ene exclaimed, floating next to her master.

"Indeed-what on Earth is-why the heck-" Shintaro stuttered. He gawked at blue haired girl.

"Master?" Ene tilted her head. Only then did she realize that she was not inside the phone anymore. "I'm free?!"

"Sort of." Shintaro pointed at her legs, which were still pixelated. "The laws on physics in this world doesn't seem to apply to us."

Ene twirled around, "At least for now, I'm not inside my master's gruesome phone~!"

Kido narrowed her eyes, "Will you guys please stop playing around? How could you be so casual when we're in a place far from home!"

They knew Kido was right, so they nodded and kept quiet.

"How did Kenjirou-san take us here?" Seto asked. Everyone shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," Kano put his hands inside his pockets, his expression was still neutral. "Let's just focus on finding Onee-chan. Get her back. And we're out of here."

"Since when did you become the leader?" Hibiya grunted, glaring up at the blond. "You barely even know this place."

"Well-what do you know?" Kano wasn't smiling. He didn't care anymore. He didn't even bother using his deceiving powers to mask his scowl. He just wanted to run and look for Ayano.

"Stop fighting." Shintaro said, stepping in between Kano and Hibiya. He voice sounded a little constricted. His throat felt constricted. The scarf seemed to be tightening around his neck, or was it just his imagination?

"Wait...where's Konoha?" Ene asked. They looked around them, no sign of the android boy.

"Let's not worry about him for now, he already knows this place. He'll be fine." Shintaro tried to assure them.

Hibiya sighed, "Something's changed. This world wasn't like this when I first came." He looked up the sky. No clouds. Just plain red. "It was supposed to look like the real world."

Kido pulled her hood over, "It's Ayano-nee's doing."

Just as Kido said the name, the surroundings changed. It's like the whole world shifted. Walls sprung from the ground.

It turned into a giant maze.

Shintaro swallowed, looks like they weren't gonna reach Ayano easily.

A transparent clock appeared on the walls of the maze, **_"11:32"_**

**_"Here are the rules of the game,"_** A voice said. Everyone's heads shot up.

**_"There are four entrances, only one leads to the 'Queen'." _**

"Guess we should walk in pairs?" Seto said, he didn't look like he approved of the idea.

**_"The other three would lead to a dead end."_** Everyone shuddered. **_"Those who give in to the temptation will never leave this world again." _**

"Temptation?" Mary tilted her head. "Mekakushi Dan won't tempted easily...right?"

Seto smiled sadly at her. "Everyone will give it their best shot."

Mary's eyes welled up with tears, "I don't...I don't want to lose anyone."

**_"You have one hour to finish the game and reach your destination."_**

"Only an hour?" Kido clicked her tongue.

**_"If you fail, you lose. All of you would be sent back to the real world and remember nothing about this."_**

"Is it really worth risking our lives?" Momo's hands started to become clammy.

"It's for the whole group's sake." Hibiya answered. He may not know Ayano, but he knew that she was important to the brigade.

**_"Everyone is allowed to use their eye abilities if needed, but you could only use it once. Those who violate the rules shall be sentenced to death." _**

"Check if your phones are working," Shintaro instructed. Everyone brought out their phones (except for Ene, Hibiya and Mary).

**_"The game will begin in 5..."_**

"My phone seems to be working." Momo answered.

**_"4..."_**

"Mine too." Kido said, showing her phone.

**_"3..."_**

"My phone's okay." Seto waved his phone. Kano flinched.

**_"2..."_**

"What's wrong?" Shintaro asked.

"...My phone won't even turn on." He said in response. Shintaro sighed, he knew this would happen.

**_"1..."_**

"Momo, you go with Hibiya. Seto, with Kano. Kido, with Mary. Ene, you're coming with me."

**_"Let the game begin."_**

* * *

"I guess I'm stuck with you..." Seto murmured as he and Kano ran.

"I didn't want to be paired up with you too, so don't worry." Kano said, smiling sarcastically at the green-hooded boy.

Seto slowed down, "You've always hated me, even when we were young, huh? I never understood why."

Kano stopped, "You really want to know? Why not use your ability to find out?"

At first, Seto thought Kano was joking, but the seriousness in his tone made him think otherwise.

"You were everyone's favorite."

"What?" Seto shook his head. "That's not true."

"Is." Kano smirked. "Kido rarely punches you. That's for one."

"Kido punches you only because you're annoying." Seto said, crossing his arms. Kano laughed a little.

"Yeah, and you're not." Kano lips stretched into a wide grin as he looked up at the red sky. "Onee-chan, too. She liked you a lot."

"Onee-chan loves all of us, you know that." Seto answered. He was beginning to sound annoyed.

"Mhm, but she loved you more." Kano's voice faltered. "You were her favorite among the three of us. She came to your aid first. Comforted you first. Played with you first. Did everything with you first."

"You sound like a kid." Seto snapped. "I thought you were the mature one."

He narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. "At least I'm not a coward. At least I don't run away. At least I accept my abilities."

Seto balled his hands into fists. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm the 'deceiver', you're the 'truth-teller'. I'm the devil, and you're the oh-so-perfect angel of Mekakushi Dan." Even as he speak, Kano's bitter smile didn't leave his face. Seto wasn't sure what to say. He's never seen this side of Kano, much less have a conversation as serious as this. "Don't you get it, Kousuke? You're my opposite. You're everything that I'm not. Everything that I wanted to be."

"Is that really the truth, Shuuya Kano?"

* * *

"Kido-chan, d-do you think Seto's gonna be okay?" Mary's voice quivered. Kido sighed and ruffled the girl's hair.

"Even though he's with Kano, I'm sure he'll be fine." Kido smiled a little. "Those two might not get along very well, but trust me...they'll be okay."

Mary nodded, though she still looked like she was about to cry. Kido clapped her on the back reassuringly. "Kido-chan never lies...so I believe in Kido-chan's words."

Kido's eyes widened a bit, then her expression softened. Mary; the girl who was locked up in her house for a century, the girl who hated being around people, the girl who was so scared of being seen by someone else...she was now happy. She was in Mekakushi Dan. Kido knew that the group was very important to Mary, too. She was determined not to shatter this girl's happiness.

And not just that.

Kido silently reminded her self to beat the hell out of the person who started all this, the person who took away their most beloved person, the person who took their big sister.

"After this, I'm making tea for everyone!" Mary suddenly exclaimed. Kido figured that she must've been putting a scary face right now, or maybe Mary just sensed that Kido was again lost in her dark thoughts.

Kido nodded. "And then we'll go to the amusement park...with Ayano-nee."

* * *

Konoha woke up with a bad headache.

"You're awake..." He heard someone say. He looked up and saw the person he wasn't expecting to see. At least not in that condition. "Welcome back."

* * *

**AMG, I'm having a bad case of writer's block right now. Ugh, this story sounded way better in my head. Writer block sucks. **

**Ayano: -sighs-**

**Scarlet: You'll come back soon. You'll even get a whole chapter to yourself. **

**Hiyori: What about me? **

**Scarlet: Oh-I almost forgot you were even in this story, Hiyo-sama. **

**Hiyori: That's good to know? ._.**

**Scarlet: Anyway, in the next chapter, we will be seeing how Momo, Hibiya, Shintaro and Ene are doing. Also Konoha. Lol. And the 'temptations' will be revealed too. Tata~**


	14. Scarlet is Drunk with Tatatarata

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KagePro or any of its characters. **

* * *

**Late update again, sorry sorry. And I have a legit excuse mind you, I've had fever for two days (Fri-Sat) so I couldn't update. Gomen, anyway-I've received an awesome review from the latest chapter. I'm gonna post it here because it's my favorite review so far: **

_Wahh! Finally new chapter! Love it Scarlet-san! Best fanfic ever! _

_Where's Ayano though? Hope she will appear soon, she's my favorite character in KagePro... I love Kano too, that little shit (fuck it Kano, stop torturing Shintaro already! I love you and all but that's just beyond cruel!); and Seto-chan too! I don't know that they are in such a BAD terms.. Well, it's understandable, after all you're right; They are polar opposites. _

_And ShinAya... love it! I don't like romance much, I'm more into family-ish story, but their tale just a tragedy. And after I watched Lost Time Memory AND Ayano no Koufuku Riron; there was a nagging feeling in my gut. WHY there are a route in which Shintarou died but none where Ayano LIVE!? Ahem, still.. even she's dead, Ayano IS an important character in Kagerou Days. She's like; freaking has a connection to almost every character.. directly or indirectly. _

_Ayano & [ Kido, Seto, Kano ] Step-sister! I'm crying a river... Mekakushi Dan founder!_

_Ayano & [ Kenjirou, Ayaka, Hiyori ] Family by blood._

_Ayano & [ Shintarou ] Obviously obvious.._

_Ayano & [ Takane(Indirectly Ene), Haruka(Indirectly Konoha) ] Friends._

_Ayano & [ Hibiya ] She was encouraging him when he's trapped at kagerou daze._

_Ayano & [ Momo ] Well, Ayano is her brother reason to became a shut-in.. I don't know wheter Momo know Ayano but indirectly she has a connection to our red lady._

_Ayano & [ Azami, Shion, Mary ] Azami creates the abilty "" (the name still unknown) after giving birth to Shion. In some site stated that that eyes ability transfered to __Ayano when she died. Mary is the very person changing the present reality into a Kagerou Daze through meeting the Mekakushi Dan, indirectly that is her connection._

_Ayano & [ Kuroha ] In the novel, there are some vague dialogues; Ayano and Who? I think that person is Kuroha, after all Ayano said "You suit that child well" (that child, maybe Hibiya?) and "It's be no good if you forgot about 'her', right?" (By her she's mean Takane?) also Konoha has an ability to swith into the Kagerou daze so it's possible that Kuroha has it too (In the dialogue he was going to go into the real world.)_

_Arghh, I'm pretty confused now... I'd read some spoilers, and most of them even more confusing. Well, whatever! More AyaKanoSetoKido family fluff please! NO! More AyaKano family bonding, onegai! *puppy dog eyes* ShinAya forever! :D I hope you put more scenes from the novel, and maybe insert "Summertime Record" lyrics? After all this chapter (and upcoming ones) really resembles the song. Ganbatte! (Sorry for my bad english *grins*)_

**First of all, I loved how this anon reviewer summarized Ayano's relationships with the other characters. Second, AMG AYANO AND KUROHA MET IN THE DAZE? -squeals then dies-. Third, I'm always open for request. I'll try adding some Summertime Record lyrics sometime later. Lastly, I don't care about bad grammar-THIS WAS THE MOST AWESOME REVIEW EVER PLZ. Amg, Anon-kun, please make an FF account. **

**-End of Rant-**

* * *

"Master, do you have any idea where we're going?" Ene asked. She didn't feel like it was necessary to bring up the question, but the silence was already torturing her.

Shintaro shrugged in response, "All I know is that one of us is supposed to find Ayano."

"Right. Right." Ene nodded twice. She fought the urge to annoy Shintaro right now, though she find it hard to do so since she's too hyper right now. You don't always wake up and find that you finally have a _body._

_I wished for a body that never gets hungry, tired, or sleepy...this is what I get,_ Ene grunted. _Azami-that Medusa. She's like a genie of some sort. Granting your wish, then putting a twist to it. Ha-Ha._

"Were you and Ayano...uhm...close?" Shintaro asked. Ene wasn't sure if he also didn't like the silence, or if he's just eager to know more about Ayano.

Ene paused to think for a moment, "I don't know, maybe, yes?"

"Yes or no."

"Or."

"Ene, please."

"Fine, fine." Ene waved her hand, "We never really got to see each other that much, but she passes by our classroom sometimes. She's a nice girl. Really friendly. Good at giving advice. You could say that we're _good_ friends."

"Giving advice?" Shintaro raised a brow.

"I said a bunch of junk and that's the only thing you hear?" Ene puffed her cheeks. Besides, she didn't want to touch that subject.

_Takane-senpai should let Haruka-senpai know how she feels!_

* * *

"Hibiya, if we get lost, I'm never gonna forgive you."

"This is a maze, we're supposed to get lost. Stupid _Oba_-san." Hibiya said with a little slang.

"Ugh-If I knew we were going to be separated into pairs, I wouldn't have agreed to coming here in the first place." As soon as Momo said those words, she immediately regretted it. Hibiya stopped walking, his head hung low.

"We're doing this for Ayano-san, so stop complaining." Hibiya said before walking again.

Momo knew that it wasn't really what Hibiya wanted to say. Of course, Hibiya was doing this partly for the group, but Momo noticed that there was something else that kept him going. _He's looking for her..._

"Hibiya?"

Hibiya turned to Momo, "What?"

Momo creased her eyebrows in confusion, "What w_hat?_"

"Hibiya..."

Realization dawned to Hibiya as he recognized the familiarity in that voice.

* * *

Kano and Seto spun around to face the speaker.

They were met by an exact replica of Kano.

"How did you-" Seto said, before Kano cut in.

"This isn't one of my tricks." Kano said, scowling a little. "Who are you?"

"I'm you, isn't it obvious." His replica replied, a small smirk appearing on his lips. Kano rolled his eyes ever so casually.

"You don't believe me? Harsh." The replica said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"Kano, will you explain why there's another _you_?" Seto pointed at the two Kano's.

A few seconds later, another Kano appeared. He has a clip on one side of his bangs, the way Seto wears his clip. This one had a more gentle look on his face, an interesting contrast to the other's playful smirk.

"Three _me_'s. Yay." Kano deadpanned.

"I still don't understand what's happening, but now I know what's worse than one Kano." Seto said with distaste. Kano frowned, remembering their heated argument. Both of them still felt the adrenaline from their anger, but it seemed long forgotten when these two '_Kano's_' popped out of nowhere._ Literally_.

"Let's play a game." The first replica said suggestively.

"Yes. A game. A game." The second one nodded in agreement.

Seto and Kano exchanged glances, "What game?"

"It's called _Let's Find the Real Kano_ game!" The replicas said in unison. Instantly, more replicas of Kano appeared, crowding them. Seto almost lost sight of the real Kano as a wave of replicas walked past them, until he felt someone grip his left shoulder.

Kano snatched Seto's clip. It was hard for him to think clearly at this state, but first thing's first. He needed a proof that he's the real Kano. A mark perhaps. Using the pointy edge of the clip, he gashed a wound on his cheek. He then handed back the bloody clip to Seto.

"Is this supposed to be an insult?" Seto looked at his now red-stained clip with disgust.

"No, it's supposed to be a peace-making gift." Kano replied sarcastically. He pointed to his cut and narrowed his eyes, "Now, don't get me mixed up for those handsome replicas."

"You just called yourself 'handsome'."

"I know."

Seto wasn't sure how Kano managed to act so normal during a time like this. Especially when the situation is concerning him. Or maybe he's just masking up again.

"Wait, does that mean the game ends now? Because here's the real Kano." Seto raised Kano's scrawny arm.

"No. No. No." Some of the replicas replied. "Find the_ real_ Kano. The_ true_ Kano."

* * *

"Ayano...?"

He sat up, rubbing his head with a little groan. "Where am I?"

"Hmm, if you were Kuroha, you would've figured it out right away." Kagerou Ayano noted. She smirked when Konoha's appearance changed. "Ah-there you are!"

"What happened to you?" Kuroha asked, looking at her warily. "Where are the others?"

"One question at a time!" Kagerou Ayano demanded.

Kuroha made a silent 'tch', "Where are the others?"

"They're in the maze. Next question."

"Maze?"

Kagerou Ayano nodded and pointed at the walls surrounding them, "We're in the eye of the maze."

"Ayano...why?" Kuroha didn't know which question to ask anymore.

"Don't act so clueless, Haruka-senpai."

* * *

Scarlet was gonna write more for this chapter, but Yuukei Yesterday was suddenly published. She stopped and sighed. She knew this was the time for her to give up and ship HaruTaka.

"Might as well give it a try," She muttered under her breath.

Little did she know that Yuukei Yesterday was full of Shidu-ness. While watching the supposedly HaruTaka PV, she didn't feel the slightest bit of sadness, for she laughed and laughed throughout the whole song.

And when the song was nearing its end, Scarlet's eyes widened. Her favorite character, Ayano, made an appearance in the said PV. Plus, she was with Haruka. Scarlet couldn't help but tear up a little at the sight of her favorite crack pairing.

"Thanks, really. You're the best, Shidu." She said, smiling as tears fell from her eyes.

* * *

**Takane: But you're supposed to ship me and Haruka-**

**Scarlet: I know but-**

**Ayano: And me and Shintaro-**

**Scarlet: Yeah but-**

**Takane: You don't even ship me with Shintaro-**

**Scarlet: I LIKE CRACK PAIRINGS, OKAY? OKAY. See y'all in the next chapter! **

**P.S. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I got distracted. I'll try to update sooner to make up for this. **


	15. He Found the Cat

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KagePro or any of its characters. **

* * *

**I'M UPDATING FAST, I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF YAY. Anyway, have I mentioned that my birthday will be on the 13th? Just thought I'd let you know, since you know, it's one of the last day Mekakushi Dan got to spend before the loop started. I hope Azami gives me 'eyes' for my birthday /shot. **

**And, ADVANCED OTANJOUBI OMEDETOU TO OUR LOLI GRANNY! **

**Anyway, I have some notes regarding the reviews:**

**To Anon-san: Yes. I the fandom's one and only Dumpling -blows glitters on your face-**

**To Kuro-san: Ah! My favorite reviewer is here again! Amg, I love you too /slapped. Worry not, for Shintaro and Ayano will be reunited real soon. Sorry for making y'all wait so long! And shh shh I don't think Hiyori wanted to be a bish to Hibiya. I think the reason why she wouldn't let Hibiya confess to her was because she didn't want it to affect their friendship. Hibiya-even tho' he's a stalker-is also Hiyori's friend. I'm sure Hiyori wouldn't sacrifice her life in the loop if she didn't care for Hibiya. AND I SQUEALED SO MUCH WHEN YOU SAID KURO/KONOAYA WAS HARD TO RESIST. /gets hit by truck**

**Okay, I'm really rushing this story because I wanna write the last chapters soon. So...enough ranting!**

* * *

"You should stop this."

"Why? Aren't I just fulfilling my daughter's wish?" Kenjirou half-smiled at the petite dark haired girl.

"This is what _you _want, this is _your_ wish. Not hers." Azami shot back. She was getting tired of lecturing this man.

"I thought she wanted those kids to have their happiness? I'm only trying to help." Kenjirou snorted.

Snakes hissed as Azami shot glaring daggers at the brown-haired teacher, "How is this helping? Other than happiness, I believe that what Ayano wanted was peace. What you're doing is causing chaos among those children's lives. Ayano would hate you if-"

"_If_ she snaps back to her senses."

Azami massaged the bridge of her nose, "She would hate you a lot."

"My daughter already hates me." Kenjirou's smile fell, "She'd hated me ever since her mother's death. She never talked about it, but I knew that she held a grudge."

"But-"

"She's my daughter. I know her. I understand her. If I were to take her place, I would hate my father too." Kenjirou's lidded eyes narrowed, "Ayano blamed me for her mother's death. Ayano thinks I'm insane. Ayano found out about my experiments. Ayano found the disgusting me."

"Kenjirou..." Azami cringed, did she just feel sorry for this horrible man? This idiot of a father? This heartless puppet master? "Is that why you're doing this?"

Silence.

"Are you trying to..."

* * *

Kano gulped down his nervousness as he walked alongside the tall boy.

"I don't understand this game," Kano said, using his most casual tone. _We have to finish this quickly...I don't want to run out of time...we have to find Ayano-nee..._

"This is confusing," Seto said in agreement. Kano frowned again.

"Can't you just use your ability to find...er-you know, the real me?" Kano shrugged. Seto made a face. "Oh right, you're too scared to use your ability."

Seto ignored his comment. "Let's just focus on finding you."

"Finding who?"

"You."

"What?"

"Kano, you're making this hard for the both of us." Seto sighed exasperatedly. Kano's been acting weird, maybe his 'deceiving' power is going haywire.

They walked in silence, crowded by dozens of replicas of the cat-eyed blond. One was grinning stupidly at them. The other was staring murderously at Seto. Then there was a unique one who was actually reading a book. There was also a Kano playing with a ball of yarn. Probably the most cat-like Kano Seto has ever met.

Despite being surrounded by aloof replicas, the two couldn't let out even a snicker. On contrary to the funny replicas, there were also the serious ones. The dark sides of Kano.

Seto saw a Kano holding a picture of them when they were young, including Ayano. Seto almost decided that _that_ was the real Kano, but he had such a blank expression on his face. Kano wasn't an emotionless bastard. A plain bastard, yes. Seto shook the thoughts away, he was getting distracted.

"Tch..." He heard Kano click his tongue. He followed his gaze...and saw a young Kano curled up in a corner.

_Find the real Kano. _

"This is...a stupid game! Haha!" Kano scratched his neck while laughing, "Really." Kano's voice was slightly higher than usual, _he's nervous._ His knees trembled, although he tried his best to keep them still. _He's scared. _Kano blinked, his eyes were starting to become red-but not because of his powers, it was simply because of the brimming tears.

Seto felt the need to use his ability. Maybe just this once. He wasn't risking Kano's sanity, so maybe he could risk his instead.

"Mom..." The young Kano muttered. He looked up and saw Kano and Seto. "...Mom."

"No," Kano shuddered, "Stop."

"Where's my mom?"

"Stop it!"

Seto looked more closely on the young version of Kano. He was wearing a black sweatshirt. If there was one word Seto could use to describe him, it was gloomy. He squinted his eyes and realized that there were holes on the kid's shirt...but what shocked him was that he realized that those were stab wounds.

Kano was starting to inch forward.

"This is _me_."

* * *

"Hibiya?"

Hibiya looked around. There was no one in there, except for him and Momo.

"Hibiya, come here."

Momo heart was starting to race. She couldn't deny that she was getting scared. Hibiya, on the other hand, looked very determined to find the source of the voice.

"Hibiya, let's play."

Hibiya stomped his foot angrily, "Where are you?!"

"Hibiya, come find me."

Momo bit her bottom lip, she's the older one here. She should be the one to act all composed and matured, "Hibiya...you know that we're walking right into a trap."

Hibiya bobbed his head, "No, this can't be a trap. I know this voice."

"Hibiya, come on."

The voice sounded louder and clearer this time. The speaker must be near. It didn't take him another second to think, Hibiya broke into a run. Momo trailed behind him. "W-wait!"

"Hibiya..."

Hibiya caught his breath. He knew his eyes were just teasing him but...

"Hi...Hiyori..."

* * *

Shintaro continued walking, his eyes alert for any sign of what he's looking for.

Ene somehow managed to keep the conversation going, "But I still can't believe that you didn't recognize me."

"You changed a lot," Shintaro drawled.

"Not really."

"You became blue," Shintaro added. Ene rolled her eyes. "What did it feel like...when..when Haruka left?"

Ene stopped, keeping herself afloat. "It was lonely, of course!"

Shintaro stared at her, pushing her to say more.

"Like you, I was pretty much nothing when Haruka..." Ene's voice faltered. "But, I haven't given up yet. Like Ayano, Haruka could still be out there! All I need is the get the puzzle right!"

"Hmm..." Shintaro hummed, he felt the scarf getting warmer every step he took. They must be near.

"Master..." Ene realized that she hadn't said that name in a while, "We have to go separate ways."

Shintaro was about to ask why, but he then understood what Ene was talking about. Up ahead was another a crossed path. They will have to choose another direction. "Splitting up isn't a very good decision. Plus, you don't have a phone."

"Splitting up will make the search easier!" Ene exclaimed enthusiastically. "And puh-lease. I'm Ene. Cyber girl. Ex-gamer/hacker/some-sort-of-NEET. I will find a way to contact you guys."

Shintaro smiled, something that he rarely does. He stretched out one hand and said, "See you again next time."

Ene smiled back, though there was a faint glimmer of sadness in her eyes. She hoped that this wasn't their goodbye. Ene was sick of goodbyes. First, Ayano. Then, Haruka..and now...she shook her head. "Till next time, Master."

She stretched out her own hand, and grabbed Shintaro's. It was their first handshake, and hopefully not their last.

* * *

"Why didn't you let me join your 'game'?" Kuroha asked.

The monster before him laughed, "You've been a lot of help, so you're an exception. What do you call that again? VIP?"

Kuroha tried to keep a straight face. He had to remind himself that Ayano wasn't 'Ayano' right now. He had to act neutral. He wasn't siding on anyone. No, not yet.

"Look! The first two trials!" The Kagerou beamed. Two separate screens appeared before them, revealing Kano, Seto, Hibiya and Momo. Kano appeared to be having a mental breakdown, whilst Hibiya looked like he had just entered a trance-like state.

"If they fail these trials..." Kuroha looked at the Kagerou questioningly. She smiled. Not a friendly smile by the way.

"Either they die, or they stay here. With me." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, "I get lonely too, you know."

Kuroha looked stunned for a split second, she had sounded like Ayano just now, and it didn't help that she had such a dejected look on her face. "You're really gonna kill them?" He said, trying to not sound distracted.

"If necessary." She said in response.

Kuroha looked down on the ground. _But if you kill them...no...if you hurt them...I will be forced to..._

_I'm sorry, Ayano. A promise is a promise._

* * *

"This is the real _me_."

Kano said it with such a pained expression, it made Seto want to sympathize with him.

"Have you seen my mom?" The young Kano continued asking.

"Shh." Kano hushed the kid gently. He took another step forward.

"If you touch that kid, that means you've chosen him." One of the replicas reminded. "The game will end."

"If you get the correct answer, then you're free."

"But if you get the wrong answer, face the consequences."

Seto shivered. Kano was still shaken, it didn't seem like he was listening to what the replicas said. It was up to Seto. He was the only one who could think straight as of now.

_I can simply use my ability to find the answer. _

_But wouldn't that be cheating?_

_Besides...I don't want to use my 'eyes' to find the real Kano. _

_To me, this is a challenge for the two of us. A challenge not only for Kano's emotions, but also for our conflicts. A challenge that would determine how much I know Kano. _

"Kano," Seto called out, he noticed that Kano was only a few inches away from the kid.

"I know the answer." Kano slurred, a tear slid down his wounded cheek.

"Yes, you do." Seto smiled brightly at the blond. Kano gave him a confused look. "But that kid's not who you really are, is he?"

"No, he _is_ me. You don't know anything about me, Kousuke." Seto perked up a little when he called him by his first name.

"You're right, I don't know anything about you." He admitted. "But do you expect these look-alikes to know any better?"

Seto received lots of glares and growls from the crowd of blonds.

"Kano..." He continued, ignoring everyone's piercing stare, "You're the only one who can know your true self."

"That's what I've been saying." Kano said, starting to sound annoyed.

"These replicas are all fake." Seto's smile didn't disappear, "The Kano I see right now...is the real Kano. You know that, right? You realized it from the start, didn't you? You were just confused. I understand that."

Kano froze. "How did you..."

"You're not using you're ability right now." Seto concluded, "I realized that earlier, since you were acting weird."

Seto walked closer and clapped Kano at the back. "Found the real Kano!"

_Maybe after this, you won't be scared to show us your true self._

"Is that your final answer?" A replica asked, his voice flat and his face blank.

_Maybe after this, you'll start being honest._

"Yep." Seto answered triumphantly. Kano stood in silence.

_Maybe after this, you won't have to hide anymore._

_Because you're our friend. _

_You're my brother. _

* * *

**Seto finally accepted Kano as his brother, but what about Kano? Is he still mad at Seto for being the 'favorite'? And what will happen to Shintaro and Ene? Will that be their farewell? What was Kuroha's promise to Ayano? How will Momo stop Hibiya from pursuing our little princess, Hiyori? Moreoever, WHERE THE HECK ARE MARY AND KIDO? **

**Scarlet: Mary and Kido will appear in the next chapter, I just had to end Seto and Kano's trial on this one. SO yeah, next chapter will focus on Mary and Hibiya's trial. Then Mary and Kido's. And finally, Shintaro and Ene's. **

**Ene: Master! Race ya to Ayano?**

**Shintaro: No.**

**Ene: Aw c'mon!**

**Ayano: First one to come will get a kiss -winks- **

**Shintaro: -dashes off- **

**Kuroha: -races Shintaro- **

**Ene: Okay...I'll just wait for the next chapter then. See ya guys! Don't forget to ship me with Haruka 3 (Apparently, Scarlet is wavering and is starting to ship HaruTaka. KonoEne is still a no-no though.)**


	16. (Teaser Chapter)

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KagePro or any of its characters.**

* * *

**GOMEN. I promised I was gonna update on the 13th/15th, but I couldn't 'cause my mom didn't let me use the computer! AND I'm sorry that I forgot about Ayano mentioning Haruka's name! Kya! WHY DID I FORGET TO EXPLAIN MORE IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER?! **

**So anyway, because of that, this chapter shall focus mostly on Kuroha and Ayano's part. Sorry for those who hate this crack pairing btw, but it's my bday so I'll be selfish just this once and satisfy myself -nod nod- Oh gosh, please don't hate me. Btw, I'm neutral with ShinEne. I don't ship it that much, but I like how their relationship goes. Ene pranking her master is just cute-and hilarious. **

**This chapter shall be written in Kuroha's point of view, okay? **

* * *

_"Don't act so clueless, Haruka-senpai."_

That simple statement echoed through my ears.

I felt my breathing become shallow, my chest constricted and my body felt numb. It was as if my body was reminding me of who I was.

I remember. I remember everything.

My childhood spent inside the hospital, my stupid illness keeping me incapacitated, and the times I spent wondering what the world outside looked like. But that's not all, I remember happy times too. I remember the time I was allowed to go to school. I remember the days I spend with Kenjirou-sensei and Takane. I remember Shintaro pissing the hell out of Takane. I remember Ayano...apologizing for her friend's rudeness.

When I first woke up to this world, my memories were blurred. All I could remember was my name-and that I wasn't supposed to be in this world.

The longer I stayed, the faster I lost my sanity.

But in the midst of those dark times, my memories came back-bit by bit. Surprisingly, I managed to salvage the little bit of sanity that resided in me.

"Look! The first two trials!" Ayano (or should I say the Kagerou?) exclaimed. A screen materialized in front of me. What I saw was nothing I've expected Ayano to enjoy.

"If they fail these trials..." I muttered grimly, looking over to Ayano. She smiled. Normally, I would feel all warm and fuzzy (Ayano's smiles often have that side-effect on people), but this smile was different. It was, in fact, scary. I never would've thought Ayano could be scarier than an angry Takane.

"Either they die, or they stay here. With me." She said it so casually, it pained me. I know that this isn't really Ayano talking, but it still had an impact on me. I didn't want to hear that from Ayano. Even as these thoughts clouded my head, I willed myself to keep a straight face.

"I get lonely too, you know." For a split second, I thought Ayano snapped back to her senses. She indeed sounded lonely.

"You're really gonna kill them?" I asked, shaking the silly thoughts out of my mind. I don't need any more distractions.

"If necessary." She said.

But Ayano...

I promised that I won't let you hurt them. Wasn't that the reason why you didn't want to come back? Weren't you scared that you'd hurt them? Then what are you saying now? Where are you? The true you?

Ayano, why are you letting this...monster...take conquer you?

_"I'm sorry,"_ A voice spoke inside my mind. I'm thinking too much, maybe I've gone mad.

_"Please end this,"_ The same voice spoke again. My hands trembled. I realized that it was Ayano's voice.

I glanced at Ayano-no-the Kagerou. She was still there, watching as Kano and Seto approach some of the replicas. Her eyes remained on the screen, and her mouth was shut tight. She wasn't talking.

_"Haruka-senpai..." _And there it was again, _"You're really...Haruka-senpai." _Her voice was weak, but I could still hear the shock in it.

"Yes," I thought quietly, hoping she would get my response. Somewhere inside the Kagerou, Ayano is still alive. She doesn't have control of her actions, but she was there. Ayano was there.

_"Ahaha..."_ I stiffened up. It's been a long time since I last heard her laugh like this. _"I'm really stupid." _

I heard her mutter 'sorry' and more gibberish, then her voice faded. I...We...We came her to save her, but is it still possible to do so?

I bit my lip, letting the blood trail down my chin. "I'll end this," I thought. I may have sounded hopeful (and maybe a little disappointed), but I'm the only one who can end this. "Don't worry...Ayano."

* * *

**Okay, this is a really short chapter because I intended to make this a teaser chapter for one of the future chapters of this story. Welp, at least Ayano got to contact Kuroha before she-okay wait I'm spoiling you guys again :v Anyway, I'll write the next chapter right away and update tomorrow(hopefully)! See ya~**

**Ayano: Will Kuro-I mean-Haruka-senpai save me?**

**Kuroha: Nope. **

**Ayano: Ehh?**

**Kuroha: -crosses arms and turns away- **

**Ayano: ...I don't like you either, mind you. -storms off- **


	17. Mother, is that you?

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KagePro or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Aye! Scarlet somehow survived her exams and managed to update /smacked. I am SO sorry for not being able to update this story. I really wasn't expecting school to be busy this year. I'm sorry. I'll try updating every two weeks, or something. Plus, I've made a lot of changes with the plot of the story. Ah man! It's hard to keep up with Jin since he keeps on changing the plot! Although I did say this story was gonna veer off from the real storyline of KagePro, I want to make it as canon-like as possible.**

**Anyway, read on~**

* * *

Kido's left eye twitched.

She stopped walking, her back arched and her face shadowed by her bangs.

"Are you okay?" Mary asked worriedly, her round eyes questioning Kido's narrowed ones.

"Someone…someone is watching us." Kido said. This seemed to heighten Mary's anxiousness. "Don't be scared. I won't let them hurt you," she said in an attempt to calm the poor girl.

"Wh-who's there?" Mary somehow mustered enough courage to voice out her questions. "S-show yourself, p-p-please."

Just as Mary commanded, a figure (greatly similar to hers) emerged from the shadows.

"Hello, my beloved daughter."

Mary broke into a run.

* * *

Ene wandered around aimlessly, picking random directions and heading to wherever she pleased.

"I wonder how everyone else is doing so far." She thought to herself. Ene admitted that it kind of felt lonely not having them around. Still, Ene felt comfortable being alone. She's been imprisoned in Shintaro's phone for so long, she'd almost forgotten what it feels like to be in a 'body'. A real body.

She did a small twirl, feeling a little contented with her current state (even though she still had pixels for feet). Ene thought it was selfish of her to feel this happy when everyone else is in chaos.

"I haven't even found Haruka yet…" Ene sighed. She hasn't solved anything at all. "Much less gather enough proof that he's still alive."

That thought made her remember Konoha. No one has seen him since they got into the maze. She began to wonder if he was gonna be okay even when he's alone.

"Konoha…" If Ene remembered correctly, Konoha looked almost alike to Haruka's video game character. She never paid much attention to Haruka's designs, but she could remember a few details about his game character. Besides, it's hard to miss the small circles under Konoha's eye.(which reminded Ene of Haruka's mole-birthmark, rather).

Little by little, Ene had been starting to convince herself that Konoha IS Haruka, but she knew she still needed confirmation. She needed Konoha himself to confess that he is her lost friend.

A knot formed in her stomach. Was it from anticipation?

Ene's lips slowly slanted down. How she missed her friends. All she was left with was Shintaro (who barely even remembers her). She missed sweet Ayano and jolly Haruka's smiles. Those two seemed to have the same effect on her. Ene smiled at the thought. Had Shintaro felt the same way, too? She made a mental note to ask him later. It's gonna be one hell of a teasing to do.

"We'll meet again…someday. I'm sure of it." She said, mostly to herself. Ene bobbed her head up to look at the plain red sky. Red; Ayano's color. She found it hard to believe that this was all Ayano's doing. No. She didn't believe their accusations. Ene knows Ayano. She was like her little sister. They promised that they'd never hide secrets from each other.

"But why didn't she tell that she was planning to commit…."

Ene couldn't finish her sentence. Ayano was anything but evil. She kept that thought in place. Just because everyone thinks Ayano is the root of this, doesn't mean she had to comply. Ene had her own opinions, and she would rather stick to them.

Her thoughts were interrupted when red light blasted somewhere near her location.

Ene's breath hitched. She glided towards the source of the light.

* * *

"Mother!"

Mary started running, only to have Kido block her way. "K-Kido, no! You don't understand-she's a good lady! S-She's my mother!"

"Mary, snap out of it!" Kido yelled. Mary winced. "She is just an illusion. A trap! Don't fall for it."

"B-But she's my-" Mary began to cry. Kido clicked her tongue. She didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings.

"Dear, don't cry. Come here." Shion spread her arms, inviting Mary into a hug. Mary struggled in Kido's grasp.

"Kido, l-let go!" Mary said, tears falling. "I need to go to my mother!"

"Your mother is dead, Mary!" Kido snapped. She didn't want to go as far as to rub salt onto the little girl's wound, but if this was the only way to make her realize…

"Daughter, would you rather believe a girl who could barely even keep her existence at bay, than to believe your very own mother?" Shion taunted.

Mary stopped struggling and noticed that Kido's eyes were glowing red.

"K-K-Kido, y-you…what's ha-happening…" She stammered, eyes wide and pupils dilated.

Kido looked at her palms. She stared right at the ground.

She was disappearing.

"I…It's okay, Mary. I'm just using my powers, that's all." Kido tried to reassure her friend. Mary's small body was shaking vigorously.

"Kido, do-don't disappear!" Mary clung to Kido hopelessly. Kido tried to hush her with comforting words.

"Don't be scared…I won't leave you..I won't…disappear." Tears started to well in Kido's eyes. She was scared. She knew she had gained full control of her powers, but she feared that this day would come. She feared that her powers would go nuts again. She feared that she would someday fully, though unintentionally, erase her own existence.

"Mary, my dear daughter, didn't I tell you not to befriend humans? They are very dangerous. Come on now, let's go home." Shion stretched a hand out for Mary. Her words were said oh-so-sweetly, but each word seemed to contain poison.

"Mother, I-" Her mother cut her sentence with a repulsive grunt.

"I am your mother. Your only family. You should listen to what I say, Mary."

Mary's hands were trembling. She wanted to run to her mother's arms. She wanted to embrace her, and to be embraced by her. She wanted to be cooped up in their old house, just like the old days. She wanted her mother.

She took a step forward.

"Mary…we're your family too." Kido smiled weakly at the medusa, her body becoming more and more transparent each passing second.

Mary's world seemed to slow down. Her mind was swirling. She was pressured. For the first time in her life, she had to make a decision. She had to sacrifice either Kido or…her mother.

* * *

"I can't believe she would even dare involve my family into this….into this…mess!" Azami barked.

Kenjirou chuckled. "It's not her fault, not entirely."

"Ah yes, maybe I should blame you." Azami eyed the old man angrily. "If my granddaughter gets hurt-"

"She won't hurt anyone. Even if I make her do so, she would never hurt anyone."

Azami eased her tensed shoulders. "Just…I don't want to see a scratch on Mary."

"That, I can't assure." Kenjirou teased, only to receive a stony glare from the small woman.

"I will kill your daughter if she lays a finger on Mary." Azami threatened, snakes hissing in unison.

Kenjirou smirked, "Your fancy talk doesn't scare me. And your powerless snakes don't work too."

Azami's mouth parted slightly.

"You have already distributed most of your powers to each of those children." Kenjirou pointed out. "Including me," his eyes glowed red. "Your snakes are pretty much useless right now."

"You impudent-"

"Behave properly and I'll spare your 'Mary'." Kenjirou said smugly. Azami would fight back if she wanted to, but it was her granddaughter's life on the line. She couldn't risk the chances. Azami wasn't sure if she still pitied this man or not. He was driving her insane. All she could do was follow this man's orders.

* * *

"We'll always be…a family…just as Onee-chan promised."

That's right. Mary didn't come here to be a burden. Mary didn't come here to look for her mother. She came here because she wanted to help. She came here for a significant purpose, and that was to find Mekakushi Dan's lost leader, Ayano.

"Mother, I'm sorry…I can't come."

Shion's eyes narrowed as she spoke, "Why not? Don't you miss me? Do you not want to make flower crowns with me?"

Mary bit back her sobs. No, she had to remind her that this wasn't her mother. She was just an illusion. Mary didn't know how this illusion appeared. She didn't know who made the illusion appear, but she had to put those thoughts aside for now. She had to make a decision.

"Mekakushi Dan is my family. I can't leave them." By this time, Kido was almost fully transparent. Shion nodded in understanding.

* * *

Ayano's eyes remained glued to the screen. She seems to take interest in her new preys.

Kuroha saw the next members to face the trial. It was Kido and Mary.

Kuroha was pretty sure Kido would do well on her own, but he wasn't so sure about Mary. And he certainly didn't expect that the trial would mostly be for Mary.

"Mary's desire was stronger than Kido's, just like how Kano's was stronger than Seto's," Kagerou explained, as if reading Kuroha's mind. "Mary wants her mother back."

Kuroha saw the solemn look on Kagerou's face. Her lifeless eyes glazed with sadness and anger, it was like Ayano was the one talking to him.

In truth, Ayano did understand how Mary felt. She had longed for her mother so much. It was a great loss when her mother died. It was the cause of her father's insanity. The cause of their family's downfall.

"You are basing their trials according to what they want?" Kuroha sounded confused, though he understood that it would be hard to say no to your biggest temptations.

"Their biggest desires stay inside their cores…I can feel it." Kagerou looked up at the sky. "I am here to offer them happiness…to grant their wishes."

Kuroha understood why Ayano found it hard to regain control of her body. Her own soul's desire, and the Kagerou's goal…they fit together. Right now, Ayano is having a trial of her own.

But if she continues this, someone could get hurt. Kuroha can't let that happen. He had to stop this.

"Everyone in this world…" Her eyes were glowing redder, it was starting to hurt Kuroha's eyes. "I can clearly see their hearts' desire."

The blast of red light blinded him.

* * *

A bright light enveloped Shion and Kido. After it subsided, Kido regained her solidity. She weakly opened her eyes, her gaze landing on Mary.

"Kido!" Mary jumped at the dazed greenhead. Once again, tears started streaming as the poor lad hugged her taller friend. "I was so worried!"

Kido patted Mary's head gently, "I didn't disappear, just like I said. So, stop crying, okay?" Kido smiled slightly, "Besides, Seto's not gonna like it if he find out that I made you cry."

"E-eh…" Mary immediately wiped her tears. "I don't want Kido and Seto to fight!"

"Good girl." Kido said, as if petting a puppy, "I suppose that was our trial…and I don't see Onee-chan anywhere. That means we took the wrong path." She sighed exasperatedly.

Mary smiled, "B-but we will find Ayano-san…I'm sure of it!"

Kido nodded. "For now, let's go find Seto and the others."

As if on cue, the wall in front of them melted away, revealing the other two members of the gang.

"Seto!" Mary squeaked in delight. As soon as the wall melted completely, she immediately jumped into Seto's arms.

"And Kano~!" Kano chirped in, earning a glare from Mary for ruining the moment.

"Kano, what happened to your cheek?" Kido asked, her voice hinting concern. Mary lifted her head up to look at Kano's face. He had a cut on his cheek.

"Ah-I tripped and fell face first on the floor!" Kano said with an awkward grin. Kido noticed Kano shifting nervously. She sent knowing glares to Seto and Kano. Even though she didn't say anything, the boys both knew that her glares meant _"We're not talking about this now because Mary is here, but you'll have to answer __ALL my questions later. PS: Kano, you suck at lying."_

"Ah! You guys should be more careful next time!" Mary chided. Seto nodded and let go of Mary.

"Looks like we both got a dead end?" Seto shrugged.

"Maybe the two remaining groups will find Ayano-nee." Kano said.

Kido sighed, "I just hope that their trials end well…" .

Seto and Kano shared a look. Two remaining pairs. Two more trials.

"Kido said it's gonna be okay, and I believe in Kido." Mary smiled at the three. They felt somewhat embarrassed. Mary looked most composed out of the four, despite what she had just gone through just a few minutes ago.

"Hm, what was Mary and Kido's trial about-" Kano earned a kick in his manhood. He doubled over in pain. "…guess…don't…want to talk…about…it…"

Mary and Seto laughed at the duo's antics. Even though they were still in the maze, they felt a little…light. Relieved, even.

As the two continued bickering about, Mary's gaze traveled elsewhere.

A flash of silver hair caught Mary's attention. A gust of wind blew.

Mary could've sworn she got a whiff of her mother's scent…

But maybe that was an illusion too.

* * *

**Since I haven't updated for like-a month, I will give you a quick review of the story:**

**-Ayano goes to Azami's world to get the 'eyes'.**

**-Ayano receives the 'eyes' and helps Hiyori and Hibiya by creating a loop.**

**-Ayano meets Konoha. Konoha realizes that Ayano is the one causing the loop.**

**-Ayano starts losing control of herself, Kuroha promises he won't let her hurt anyone.**

**-Ayano becomes the Kagerou. **

**-It is revealed that Kenjirou is manipulating Ayano. He controls the Kagerou. **

**-Azami is near to being powerless, seeing how she gave away her snakes' abilities. **

**-Ayano's real 'eyes' is yet to be revealed. So is Shintaro's.**

**In this chapter, it is also revealed that the Kagerou can mess around with someone else's eye ability (Kido's ability goes wrong when Illusion!Shion appeared).**

**Next up: Hibiya and Momo's trial! And finally, Shintaro…**

**But what would be Ene's trial? Would she even have one? Would she Kagerou!Ayano offer her a chance to make her desires come true?**

**Ene: Oh my gosh, you actually wrote something about me.**

**Scarlet: Heh, I kinda like your character. You're interesting.**

**Ene: Oh…are you in yuri's with me? **

**Mary: Is anything wrong with 'lily'?**

**Scarlet: …**

**Ene: …**

**Shion: Mary, go back to your room. **

**Ayano: -still has low cameos- I thought I was the main character of this fic.**

**Scarlet: You'll hit the spotlight next week-ah dammit you made me give spoilers. Shoo, Ayano, shoo. Go make out with Shintaro or Kuroha-**

**Ayano: -slaps Scarlet-**

**Ene: -slaps Scarlet- **

**Soda: -slaps Scarlet-**


End file.
